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Commentary on the 
Gospel According 
to Saint Matthew 



Rev. G. A. McLaughlin, D. D. 

Author of "Living Sacrifice," "Inbred Sin," "A Clean Heart," *'01d 
Wine in New Bottles," "Saved and Kept," "The 
Vine and Branches,'' "The Prom- 
ised Gift," etc. 



* 



igog 

THE CHRISTIAN WITNESS CO MP ANT 
CHICAGO AND BOSTON 



^fyl 



Copyright 19 09 
The Christian Witness Co. 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Cooies Received 

JUN 1 180SI 

CLAtfS A AXc No. 



Preface 



An eminent ecclesiastical authority* has said concerning Holi- 
ness as found in the Word of God, "It breathes in the prophecy, 
thunders in the law, murmurs in the narrative, whispers in the 
promises, supplicates in the prayers, sparkles in the poetry, re- 
sounds in the songs, speaks in the types, glows in the imagery, 
voices in the language, and burns in the spirit of the whole scheme 
from its Alpha to Omega, from its beginning to its end. Holi- 
ness! Holiness needed! Holiness required! Holiness offered! 
Holiness attainable! Holiness a present duty, a present privi- 
lege, a present enjoyment, is the progress and completeness of 
this wondrous theme! It is the truth glowing all over, webbing 
all through revelation : the glorious truth which sparkles and whis- 
pers and sings and shouts in all its history and biography and 
poetry and prophecy and precept and promise and prayer: the 
great central truth of the system. The wonder is that all do 
not see; that any rise up to question a truth so conspicuous, so 
glorious, so full of comfort." 

Another authority! has written a book to show that Holiness 
is "The central idea of Christianity." This fact, however, is 
not generally recognized or emphasized among the commentators. 
Holiness seems to be a matter of incidental mention by many of 
them. Some treat it very gingerly and others are so indefinite 
that it is left as something intangible or misty in the minds of 
the people. 

Hence this commentary, which attempts to reveal Holiness as 
the chief end for which the Bible was written. 

Most of the early commentaries were written from the ultra- 
Calvinistic standpoint, which denied the possibility of living free 

*Bishop Poster. 
tBishop Peck. 

lii 



from sin and sinfulness, asserting that Christ does not see fit 
to deliver his people from the great hindrance to Christian service — 
depravity, but that this needed work must be accomplished either 
by death or at the hour of and in the article of death. 

Arminian commentators have been more or less affected by 
those of the Calvinistic school with a few exceptions. So that 
we find that the Bible has generally been interpreted in the in- 
terest of sin, when it comes to the question of actual experience. 

Nothwithstanding the Apostle says ' ' All scripture is given by 
inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for 
correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God 
may be perfect," it is denied that the man of God can be per- 
fect. As we study Calvinistic and Arminian commentators we 
have noticed that there are certain passages of Scripture at which, 
in their comments, they have unconsciously dropped their theo- 
logical questions and have clearly and explicitly declared that it 
is possible to be cleansed from all sin in this life. They were 
compelled to this interpretation, otherwise, they must violate the 
plain meaning of the Scriptures. We shall quote from these au- 
thorities, not only to show their inconsistencies but also to show 
the natural interpretation of Scripture. It shows the inconsistency 
of the theology that represents Jesus Christ as a perfect Saviour 
and yet denies that he perfectly saves from the malady of sin. 

In the treatment of the miracles of Christ, commentators have 
been obliged to consider the healing of the body as a type of the 
healing of the soul or get no spiritual lessons from them. But 
in so doing, complete, instantaneous, faith-cures of the body have 
been represented as symbols of the similar cures wrought upon 
the souls of men. It is impossible to find a commentator who 
seeks to convey spiritual teaching from the cures of lepers, who 
does not state the anti-type of soul-healing as clearly and une- 
quivocally as we could wish. They state clearly and positively 
that Jesus can cleanse from the leprosy of sin. As leprosy is 
universally accepted as the type of sin, its cure must therefore 
be accepted as a type of the cure of sin. A large part of the 
miracles of Christ must have a spiritual interpretation or none 
at all that shall be of any spiritual profit. Happily we are not 
left in doubt as to this question. Jesus himself interpreted many 
of his miracles. (See John 6:27-64; 9:39-41; Luke 5:1-10). 



Our view of the great underlying thought of the Bible — Holi- 
ness — is further substantiated by all or nearly all the grand pas- 
sages that tell us the end and aim of the Bible. (See Psalms 
110:1-4, 11; John 15:3; 17: 17; Eph. 5:26; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; 
2 Pet. 1:4 and others). 

It may be objected that the author sees Holiness everywhere 
in the Scriptures, because he is determined to see it there. In 
reply we would say that doubtless the objector may not see it 
there, because he does not ivish to see it. The Scribes and Phari- 
sees, who were certainly as well acquainted with the text of the 
Old Testament as any of the divines and scholars of modern 
times did not recognize the portrait of Jesus of Nazareth there 
at all. 

Still further: the great proof of the inspiration of the Scrip- 
tures is in the power and privilege of proving them true by ex- 
perience, if we come candidly to God, seeking to know and do 
his will. The doctrines of the New Birth and the Witness of the 
Spirit as taught in the Scriptures, have been proved true again 
and again in human experience and consciousness. And the tes- 
timonies to this effect are accepted in the church today. These 
are the best proofs of the divinity of the Word of God. 

In the same manner the doctrine of the Baptism with the Holy 
Ghost, a work subsequent to conversion, whereby the heart is 
cleansed from all sin, is just as clearly attested by the saints of 
all denominations of evangelical Christianity, — men and women 
of sober judgment, scholarly wisdom and consistent lives. 

Lastly. This commentary is not written polemically, or with 
any desire to reflect on anybody or anything except sin and Satan. 
It is written to that growing body of believers whose understand- 
ing through experience of these truths has been opened to see 
these things: who have found through the Baptism of Perfect 
Love that the Bible is a new book: who have the new version re- 
vised by the latest and best of revisers — The Holy Spirit. 

CONCERNING THE GOSPEL BY ST. MATTHEW. 

Matthew wrote this gospel to the Jews to prove to them that 
Jesus of Nazareth was their Messiah, who had been prophesied 
by their prophets. Hence, he more than the other evangelists 
constantly refers to the Old Testament showing how Jesus of 

v 



Nazareth fulfilled the Scriptures. We find fewer references to 
the Old Testament or quotations from it in Mark, Luke or John, 
because they wrote more particularly for other purposes. 

This gospel was written systematically with this end in view — 
Jesus the Messiah, who had come to reign as King of the Jews. 

Hence, after having like all biographers shown the origin of 
Jesus, by giving a list of his ancestors on the human side and 
affirming his origin on the divine side of his nature (Ch. 1), he 
describes the circumstances of his birth (Ch. 2). Then he intro- 
duces his forerunner John the Baptist, who came to prepare men 
for his coming (Ch. 3). He then begins at once to describe his 
preparation for his ministry, through his baptism; with the bap- 
tism of John and the anointing of the Holy Ghost and the tempta- 
tion in the wilderness (Ch. 4). Next he introduces the Sermon on 
the Mount in which he lays down the principles of his kingdom 
(Ch. 5, 6 and 7). After this he gives a record of his miracles 
which were the seals of his Messiahship (Ch. 8 and 9). 

Then comes the commission of the twelve apostles to go out 
and herald his kingdom (Ch. 10). 

He then commences his own preaching (Ch. 11 and 12) tour, 
during which he has his first fierce contest with the Pharisees, 
which from that time on becomes more deeply determined on both 
sides. The time had now come for a better understanding of the 
nature of his kingdom which he gives in parables (Ch. 13). 

He then miraculously feeds the multitudes (Ch. 14). The 
Pharisees again return to him demanding his authority, and re- 
tire worsted from the contest (Ch. 15). 

The time has now come to bring the truth nearer and make it 
clearer to his disciples (Ch. 16), and as Peter makes his notable 
confession of his Messiahship and deity he gave them further 
light and shows that he is to be the suffering Messiah, to be 
crucified by the leaders of the church. Lest this might dishearten 
them, he takes three of his disciples up into the mount and is 
transfigured before them while Moses and Elijah appear to con- 
firm what he had said about his death (Ch. 17). 

His disciples had now become filled with false notions of his 
kingdom and full of carnal ambitions which he has to rebuke se- 
verely (Ch. 18). 

Again the Pharisees attack him with subtle questions to catch 

vi 



him on the divorce question (Ch. 18). Having triumphed over 
tnem again he is met by those bringing to him young children 
whom he blesses. A young ruler comes and seeks to be his fol- 
lower, but is staggered at the conditions and turns away. This 
prompts Peter to ask the question as to what the disciples are to 
have who have followed him in his career. This prompts the 
parable of Ch. 20, in which he shows that our rewards will not 
be because we have done better than others, for salvation does 
not consist in our superiority to others. 

He now goes on his last journey to Jerusalem (Ch. 21) as a 
voluntary offering for the sins of the world. He is met by the 
multitude who give him an ovation. Again the Pharisees and 
scribes attack him. He replies in the parables of The Two Sons, 
The Wicked Husbandmen and (Ch. 22) The Wedding Feast. Now 
the Pharisees attack him again with the help of the Followers of 
Herod in a subtle question as to tribute. He sends them away 
worsted again. Then the Sadducees make an attack on him which 
he repels. A last attack is made upon him by a certain scribe 
as to what the great law of the Old Testament is. He comes out 
of the contest victorious and from that day no man dares to ask 
him any more questions. 

He now (Ch. 23) assumes the aggressive since his enemies have 
retired from the attack and shows the hypocrisy of the Pharisees 
and pronounces a series of woes upon the Scribes and Pharisees. 
He tells them that their house is left desolate to them, referring 
to the temple. It is henceforth their house and not God's house. 
The disciples now (Ch. 24) call his attention to the beauty and 
strength of the building of the temple which he had just pro- 
nounced desolate and ask him when this desolation should take 
place and when would be the time of his coming and the end 
of the world. He explains the three questions in Ch. 24 and then 
gives the parables (Ch. 25) of The Ten Virgins and The Talents 
and then foretells the General Judgment which is to follow his 
coming. 

Then follows the account of his anointing at Bethany (Ch. 26) 
and the circumstances that led to his betrayal by Judas. He then 
institutes the Lord's Supper as a memorial to be constantly kept 
for him in ages to come. 

Then follows the scene of Gethsemane and his betrayal, into 



the bauds of his enemies, the circumstances of his trial (Ch. 26 
and 27) and his crucifixion (Ch. 27) and resurrection (Ch. 23). 
Through all this narrative of Matthew runs the grand chief 
thought, Jesus the Messiah. Matthew does not intend to give all 
the events in the order of time but he groups them with the one 
central idea of proving Jesus of Nazareth to be the Messiah or 
KING OF THE JEWS. 

The phrase KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is the key of this Gos- 
pel. This kingdom is Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy 
Ghost. It is the kingdom of Holiness ruling the heart. 



viii 



CHAPTER I. 

THE HOLY MAN. 

From the Human Standpoint. Vs. 1-17. From the Divine Stand- 
point. Vs. 18-20. His Mission. Vs. 21-25. 

It is highly important that we should remember that the 
Scriptures were given that the man of God ' ' may be perfect, thor- 
oughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. 3:16). Many 
Bible students never seem to comprehend that this is the ulti- 
mate object of the Scriptures. Jesus prayed for his disciples 
"sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth." (John 
17:17). Paul says, "Christ loved the church and gave himself 
for it, that he might sanctify it through the washing of water 
by the word." (Eph. 5:25-26). All parts of Scripture then 
directly or indirectly aim at the sanctification of the believer and 
should be studied with this thought in view. All Scripture di- 
rectly or indirectly leadsto Jesus Christ, The Holy Man, our pat- 
tern and example, and teach directly or indirectly the heritage 
of holiness left by him to his brethren, the children of God. He 
said, "For their sakes I sanctify myself that they also might 
be sanctified." (John 17:19). The apostle says, "Both he that 
sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one; for 
which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." (Heb. 
2:11). We believe then in harmony with this, the Scripture, should 
be interpreted with the special thought of Jesus, the examplar 
of holiness, and how we may be holy like Him, our elder brother. 
This is the keynote of the Scriptures. 

FROM THE HUMAN STANDPOINT. Vs. 1-17. 

1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, 
the son of Abraham. 

2 Abraham begat Isaac ; and Isaac begat Jacob ; and Jacob begat 
Judas and his brethren ; 

9 



10 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar ; and Phares 
begat Esrom ; and Esrom begat Aram ; 

4 And Aram begat Aminadab ; and Aminadab begat Naasson ; and 
Naasson begat Salmon ; 

5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab ; and Booz begat Obed of 
Ruth ; and Obed begat Jesse ; 

6 And Jesse begat David the king ; and David the king begat 
Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias : 

7 And Solomon begat Roboam ; and Roboam begat Abia ; and 
Abia begat Asa ; 

8 And Asa begat Josaphat ; and Josaphat begat Joram ; and Jo- 
ram begat Ozias ; 

9 And Ozias begat Joatham ; and Joatham begat Achaz ; and 
Achaz begat Ezekias ; 

10 And Ezekias begat Manasses ; and Manasses begat Amon; 
and Amon begat Josias ; 

11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time 
they were carried away to Babylon : 

12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat 
Salathiel ; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel ; 

13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud ; and Abiud begat Eliakim ; and 
Eliakim begat Azor ; 

14 And Azor begat Sadoc ; and Sadoc begat Achim ; and Achlm 
begat Eliud ; 

15 And Eliud begat Eleazar ; and Eleazar begat Matthan ; and 
Matthan begat Jacob ; 

16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was 
born Jesus, who is called Christ. 

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen 
generations ; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are 
fourteen generations ; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto 
Christ are fourteen generations. 

"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ." Substitute 
the word origin in place of the word generation, and we shall 
get a clearer idea of what is meant. 

When the biography of a noted individual is given to the 
world it is customary to give his pedigree. This was especially 
the case with the ancient Jews. Hence Matthew, who wrote his 
gospel especially to convince the Jews of the Messiahship of Jesus, 
was very particular to give a list of the ancestors of Jesus. Genea- 
logical tables among the Jews were preserved with great care. 
Since the Jews knew from the prophecies that the Messiah was 
to be a descendant of Abraham and David, therefore in this genea- 
logical table, Matthew is very particular in showing this great 
fact. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW H 

It is worthy of notice that the Greek word here translated 
"Generation" is "Genesis," the name of the first book of the 
Old Testament. That book gives the origin of all created things. 
In Genesis we are told of the creation of a world for the first 
Adam. Here we are told of the origin of the second Adam, who 
came to save a world wrecked by the first Adam. If Matthew 
had written it ' ' The book of the origin of Jesus ' ' he would have 
given only a part of the truth — the human side. If he had writ- 
ten ' ' The book of the origin of Christ, ' ' it would have been only 
concerning the Messiah, but it would have been both partial and 
indefinite, but he puts both names together — Jesus Christ. 

"Jesus." In the Hebrew language it is called Joshua. The 
Joshua of the Old Testament and Jesus of the New Testament 
are the same name. Joshua is an abbreviation of the Hebrew 
word, Hoshea. It means ' ' help, ' ' ' ' deliverer. ' ' Dr Whedon says, 
' ' Our Lord was so named by express command of the angel ; 
(vs. 21), first to indicate that he was the Saviour from sin; and 
second, to show that he was the antitype of Joshua, his type." 
Here we have one of the many proofs that Canaan was a type of 
the second work of grace — the experience of deliverance from all 
sin — in this life, for we are taught that just as the Old Testa- 
ment Joshua delivered the people of God into Canaan, so Jesus 
(the New Testament Joshua) delivers us not from hell primarily 
or into heaven but from our sins. Just as Joshua established 
Israel in Canaan, so Jesus establishes his people "in holiness 
and righteousness before him all the days of our life." 

"Christ" means, Anointed. It signified to the Jews the same 
as Messiah, which is the same word in Hebrew. Jesus was the 
Anointed, Messiah, Christas — all three words meaning the same. 
Prophets, priests and kings were anointed anciently for their 
special office. Jesus combined in himself all three offices. He is 
our Prophet, because he declares the will of God, and shows to 
us the way to heaven. He is our Priest who has made a sacri- 
fice of himself for our sins. He is our King, whose laws we are 
to obey. This then is The Book of the Origin of Jesus, the 
Anointed One. He was anointed immediately after his baptism 
by John. This shows that baptism and anointing are not the 
same. He was baptized with water and anointed with the Holy 



12 COMMENTARY OX THE GOSPEL 

Spirit. It nowhere in the New Testament says that he was bap- 
tized with the Spirit. The definition of baptism is cleansing. 
Jesus needed no cleansing. He was anointed for his life-work, 
as prophet, priest and king. He said when he stood up in Naza- 
reth in the synagogue on the Sabbath day (Luke 4:18) that he 
had been anointed with the Spirit. (See also Acts 4:27 and 
10:38). 

We have seen that the word Christian means Christed or 
anointed. He is a Christian who, like his Master, is anointed 
with the Holy Ghost, and is thus empowered to go forth to do 
good to men. 

The genealogical table of the ancestors of Jesus begins with 
verse 2 and closes with verse 17. The word ''generation" in verse 
17 is not the same Greek word used in verse 1 and translated 
"generation." There it is a Greek word meaning origin. Here it 
means a generation as a class of individuals, making a step in a 
genealogical table. These sixteen verses (vs. 2-17) are divided 
into three groups of fourteen generations each. This threefold 
division marks the three epochs of the rise, decline and fall of 
the Jewish nation. They have been called ' ' The morning, noon 
and evening of Jewish history. " 

St Luke also gives the genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3:23-38). 
There are some differences in the two tables. Matthew probably 
gives the genealogy of Joseph and Luke gives the genealogy of 
Mary. Undoubtedly Matthew took his table from the public 
registry, as it was the custom of the Jews to have their pedigree 
recorded. If there had been any real discrepancy, we should have 
had it pointed out, for many of the enemies of Christianity at 
the time the gospels were first published were very keen intel- 
lectually, and well posted on such matters. But not a word of 
objection was ever raised. Matthew copied from the family 
genealogical tables as he found them. He did not make the tables. 
He proved the origin of Jesus, to the Jews from their own tables. 

It was necessary to prove that Jesus descended from the royal 
line of Abraham and David, in order to convince the Jews of his 
Messiahship. But the book has also a larger scope. He was 
greater than a Saviour of and for the Jews. This book was also 
written to tell all mankind that he came to set them free from 
sin — to make them holy. 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 13 

This holy being originated on the human side, from sinful, 
human nature. The harlots, Eahab, Thamar and Bathsheba were 
among his ancestors. He sprang from our fallen human nature. 
God made the pattern, the model holy man from unholy human 
nature. He is still making saints from sinful human nature. He 
was ' ' made in the likeness of sinful flesh. ' ' " He took not on 
him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abra- 
ham. ' ' A sinless being, born of sinful human nature, once walked 
this earth. 

If God could do this in the absolute sense in the person of 
his only begotten Son, can he not in a derived sense make us, 
his adopted sons, holy? A holy being in the likeness of man! 
What was it for, but to teach us, that we too may be holy through 
the same divine power? il Wherefore he that sanctifieth and they 
that are sanctified are all of one, for which cause he is not 
ashamed to call them brethren." Some have taught that sin is 
inherent in our bodies and therefore the body is sinful. But 
Jesus was absolutely holy and yet had a body of flesh and blood 
like ours. He dwelt in a body that was subject to weariness, 
hunger, thirst and pain. This fact explodes the fallacy of sin in 
the body. The theory that we cannot be holy in the body is not 
true as far as the question of the sinfulness of the body is con- 
cerned. Matter has no moral quality. 

FKOM THE DIVINE STANDPOINT. Vs. 18-20. 

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise : When as his 
mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she 
was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing 
to make her a publick example was minded to put her away privily. 

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the 
Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of 
David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife : for that which is 
conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 

"With Child of the IPoly Ghost." So debased have mankind 
become by sin that it is well nigh impossible for multitudes to 
talk or think of the mysteries of birth and life without evil sug- 
gestions coming to their minds. Dr. Whedon says, "We are to 
understand simply that divine power was imparted to the human 



14 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

person of the virgin from which a person of perfect holiness 
should be conceived and born, blending the divine and human na- 
tures. From this whole matter all but the truly impious and 
profane will banish every impure and gross thought. ' ' We can- 
not understand the mysteries of natural birth so we need must 
stagger at the mystery of the supernatural birth. We live, alas! 
in a day when the virgin birth is denied in some portions of what 
has been known as the evangelical church. To deny the virgin 
birth is to deny the supernatural in religion. If we accept the 
supernatural in religion there is no difficulty in accepting the doc- 
trine of The Incarnation. It was prophesied in Eden thus, "The 
seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head." His mira- 
cles and teachings prove his supernatural personality. 

"Joseph, her husband being a just man." Among the Jews 
betrothal was looked upon as sacred as marriage and the be- 
trothed were looked upon as husband and wife. Joseph was un- 
willing to allow what he considered wrong to pass by unnoticed, 
and yet he was a kind hearted man, who did not wish to drag 
her into court to face a charge of sin according to the custom. 
(See Deut. 22:24). He simply proposed to get out a writing of 
divorcement. Mary is an example of entire consecration, such 
as has rarely been heard of in the Christian church. She was 
willing to be called a bad woman. When the announcement was 
made that she was to be the mother of Jesus, she merely replied, 
"Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; be it unto me according 
to thy word." What a pitiful sight to see so many professed 
Christians who can not endure one little bit of ostracism or per- 
secution for Christ's sake. Mary gave up her good name. What 
a fuss we make in our day about attacks upon our reputation! 
How much do we know of real consecration! 

The Roman Catholic church teaches the perpetual virginity of 
Mary; that is, that she had no more children. This is a mere sen- 
timent. The Scriptures indicate the opposite. (See Matt. 
13:55-56). 

The Scripture nowhere tells us to worship Mary. But little 
is said about her in the gospels. She is mentioned only once in 
the Book of Acts (and that incidentally. Acts 1:14) and not at 
all in the epistles. Had she been at all necessary in the salvation 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 15 

of souls, as a mediator, she would certainly have been mentioned 
by St. Paul, who thoroughly explains the plan of salvation in his 
epistles. Such a thing as worshipping her was never known until 
the fifth century. She was a good woman, but so weak that she 
could not comprehend her Son, as seen when she found him in the 
temple, at the age of twelve, at the wedding feast of Cana, and 
when she urged him to leave the crowds and retire to his home. 

"The angel of the Lord appeared." There had been no an- 
gelic appearances for 400 years until the appearance of an angel 
to Zacharias (Luke 1:11) and Mary (Luke 1:26). 

HIS MISSION. Vs. 21-25. 

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name 
Jesus ; for he shall save his people from their sins. 

22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was 
spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth 
a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted 
is, God with us. 

2-4 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the 
Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife : 

25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son : 
and he called his name Jesus. 

Joseph was instructed what to name him and why. "Thou 
shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their 
sins." Names in those days stood for something. They were 
not given as with us just because they were euphonious or looked 
well when written. His mission was to save his people. The holy 
Jesus came to save his people from their sins. The modern holi- 
ness movement is in co-operation with the mission of Jesus and is 
seeking to help him in his mission of saving his people from their 
sins. The ministry of Jesus was exclusively to the church. When 
his church was entirely sanctified at Pentecost, then and not until 
then did he send them out to save the outside world. He saves 
from sin by making us his people, and then sanctifying us from 
inbred sin. 

It has been said, "What's in a name? A rose would smell 
as sweet by any other name." There is a great deal in a name. 
The names of Newton and Copernicus speak of astronomy. The 



16 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

names of Washington and Lincoln of liberty, but the name of 
Jesus is the only name that speaks of salvation. It says very 
little of his coming to save from hell or punishment. It is a 
greater salvation than that. He came to save from sin itself, 
which is the cause of hell and punishment. (See John 1:29 and 
36; Titus 2:14; Eph. 5:25-26; Heb. 13:12; 1 John 3:8). The 
greater includes the less. Albert Barnes says, ' ' This is the great 
business of Jesus in coming and dying. It is not to save men 
in their sins, but from their sins. Sinners could not be happy 
in heaven. It would be a place of wretchedness to the guilty. 
The design of Jesus therefore was to save from sin by dying to 
make an atonement (Titus 2:14); and second, by renewing the 
heart, and purifying the soul, and preparing his people for a 
pure and holy heaven. And from this we may learn, 1st. That 
Jesus had a design in coming into the world; he came to save his 
people: and that design will surely be accomplished. It is im- 
possible that in any part it should fail. 2d. We have no evi- 
dence that we are his people unless we are saved from the power 
and dominion of sin. A mere profession of being his people will 
not answer. Unless we give up our sins, the pride, pomp and 
pleasures of this world, and all our lusts, and crimes we have no 
evidence that we are the children of God. It is impossible that 
we should be Christians if we indulge in sin and live in the prac- 
tice of any known iniquity. 3d. That all professing Christians 
might feel that there is no salvation unless it is from sin, and 
that they can never be admitted into a holy heaven hereafter un- 
less they are made pure, by the blood of Jesus, here." Adam 
Clarke says, "This shall be his great business in the world: the 
great errand on which he has come : , viz. : to make an atonement 
for, and to destroy sin : deliverance from all the power, guilt and 
pollution of sin, is the privilege of every believer in Christ Jesus. 
Less than this is not spoken of in the Gospel: and less than this 
would be unbecoming the Gospel. The perfection of the Gospel 
system is not that it makes allowance for sin but that it makes 
atonement for it:— not that it tolerates sin but that it destroys it." 
Emmanuel. It is Immanuel in the quoted portion of Isaiah 
(Ch. 7:14). It is the same word and means the same thing. 
Thus we have here three titles or names: Jesus, Christ and Em- 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 1? 

manuel. Jesus-Saviour: Christ — the anointed One: Emmanuel — 
God with us. These three names express all the offices of Christ 
in our salvation. He is our anointed high priest who has come to 
save us from all sin, who is with us in all places wherever we 
go to help and keep us from all sin; he forgives the sins of the 
past, saves us from present sin and will "present us faultless 
before the throne of his Father with exceeding joy." God has 
always desired to dwell with man. In the Old Dispensation he 
dwelt among them in the pillar and cloud and in the Shechinah; 
later in the person of Christ and now in the indwelling of the Holy 
Spirit. 

"A virgin shall be with child." This had been predicted in 
Eden thus, "the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's 
head. ' ' But the more particular prophecy here mentioned is 
taken from Isaiah 7:14. It was uttered 740 years before Christ 
by Isaiah when the land of Judea was threatened with invasion 
from the united armies of Syria and Israel, in the days of Ahaz, 
king of Judah. Ahaz in his alarm was about to call in other 
kings to help him, but God sent Isaiah the prophet to tell him 
to ask a sign from the Lord or, in other words, to ask God to 
help him. But he had no confidence in God and refused to do it. 
Isaiah then told him that God would himself give a pledge or 
sign that he would deliver the land. The Lord gave a sign. The 
sign was that a virgin should bear a son and the land would be 
forsaken by the kings of Syria and Israel before the son had ar- 
rived at years of discretion. This sign was not merely for Ahaz 
but foa- all the Jews of all ages — a standing sign. 



CHAPTER II. 
CARNALITY OPPOSES HOLINESS. 

Holiness is Contrary to Mere Human Notions. Vs. 1. Holiness is 
Attractive to the Unprejudiced, Unsaved World. Vs. 1-2. 
Holiness Draws the Opposition of the Carnal Mind. Vs. 3-4. 
Carnality Hinders Spiritual Vision. Vs. 5-6. Subterfuges Used 
to Destroy Holiness. Vs. 7-9. In Every Age There Have Been 
a Few Who Appreciated the Value of Holiness. Vs. 10-11. God 
is on the Side of Holiness. Vs. 12-15. Cruelty of the Carnal 
Mind. Vs. 16-18. Holiness May be Hid for a Time but God 
Brings it to Sight Again. Vs. 19-23. 

HOLINESS IS COXTEAEY TO MERE HUMAN XOTIOXS. 

Vs. 1. 

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days 
of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to 
Jerusalem, 

The exact day of the birth of Jesus is unknown. The 25th 
of December is an arbitrary date set apart by the church fathers 
as the day to celebrate his birth, in accordance with the custom 
among the ancients of celebrating the birth of great personages. 
Had men been able to pierce the veil of the future, and see what 
his birth meant to the world, the day would have been carefully 
noted. However it is not so important to know the date of his 
birth as to know the fact that he was bom. It was not until the 
sixth century that the authorities began to fix the date of the 
Christian era, and they fixed it four years or more too late. Jesus 
was born about four years earlier than our chronology gives it. 
Add four years to the one in which you are now living and you 
will have it approximately correct. 

Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, five miles south of 
Jerusalem. The phrase "of Judea" is added to distinguish it 

19 



20 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

from another Bethlehem which was located in Zebulon, near the 
sea of Galilee. Bethlehem was the birthplace of David also and 
the place where he was anointed king. It signifies "The house 
of oread, ' ' because of its exceedingly fertile soil. He who was the 
real oread of life, entered this world at this place. It was well 
named. 

This was "in the days of Herod, the king," called Herod the 
Great. He was a native of Idumea and was appointed king over 
Judea, by the Romans. Secular history characterizes him as a 
cruel and blood-thirsty wretch. 

The manner in which Jesus came was entirely contrary to the 
notions of the carnal human heart. "He came unto his own and 
his own received him not." Instead of coming with spectacular 
pomp and splendor, as Eastern potentates usually came into their 
kingdoms, he came through the manger of a stable in the humble 
town of Bethlehem. This was a mark of the humiliation he took 
upon himself. Holiness is humility, and humility in its purest 
form is seen in its Great Exemplar, Jesus. They who think holi- 
ness consists only of rhapsodies and ecstatic visions are grievously 
mistaken. It is in the very depths of humility. Holiness, like its 
Master, does not come according to the notions of the carnal mind 
at all. The great, high and lofty of this world have nothing but 
contempt to bestow upon it. 

When they see it, they criticise, ostracise and look upon it as 
wretched fanaticism. He who embraces it, like the Master, must 
be willing to brave the scorn of the carnal who have so little 
spirituality that they do not know holiness when they see it. The 
same classes have the same scorn for holiness as when it came in 
Bethlehem, in human form. It is best it should be thus. If holi- 
ness were popular with kings, ecclesiastics and these in high places 
of earth, we would seek it because of its popularity, but those who 
get it seek it for its own sake. They must have it at any cost. 
They had rather have it than popularity with the sinful, carnal 
mind. Let us therefore with Moses rejoice that we have "esteemed 
the reproach of Christ greater riches than" all the emoluments 
and favors that can be bestowed by the carnal mind or the world. 
A popular holiness is not the holiness that Jesus brought to earth. 
The offence of Jesus and his cross will never cease. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 21 



HOLINESS IS ATTRACTIVE TO THE UNPREJUDICED, 
UNSAVED WORLD. Vs. 1-2. 

2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we 
have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 

Just after the birth of Jesus — probably some mouths — a com- 
pany of wise men came to Jerusalem from Persia or Arabia. It 
is not known how many there were. Tradition says they were 
three kings. Their object was to worship the new born King of 
the Jews. The Greek text calls them Magoi, from which we get our 
modern word Magician. We read of Magicians of the courts of 
Pharaoh, and Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel became one of these 
Magoi in the court of Belshazzar. No doubt these men were honest 
seekers after the truth. There was at this time a general expecta- 
tion throughout the world of the coming of some great personage. 
Confucius, of China and Zoroaster, founder of the reformed reli- 
gion of Persia, as well as some of the Roman writers had fore- 
told it. They probably had obtained this from the Jews who had 
carried everywhere their faith founded upon the prophecies uttered 
by Daniel while a captive in Chaldea. No doubt God had impressed 
these truths of the coming Messiah upon the heathen world by this 
means. 

God led them by a star, to the land of Judea. The ancients be- 
lieved that any particular bright star in the heavens indicated the 
birth of some child, who was to be a great personage. God led 
them according to the star-light, in which they believed, to the 
greater light of the Sun of Righteousness. He ever leads sincere 
souls from their present light to the greater light. All light 
honestly followed leads to Jesus, ' ' The Light of the World. ' ' 
He leads the honest astronomer and scientist, as truly as the 
humble shepherds, to Christ. 

There has been a good deal of conjecture as to the nature of 
this star. Some have thought that it was a new star, created at 
this time. Others have thought that it was a conjunction of the 
planets; others have supposed that it was a meteor or comet; and 
still others have regarded it as a miraculous light. We think 
the last supposition, the best, for this star led these men west- 
ward and stood over the place of his residence, and in this respect 



22 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

it certainly was miraculous. They came to worship him, not in 
the sense in which we worship God, but to do honor to him, as a 
king, by prostrating themselves before him and presenting him 
gifts. They hardly understood the nature of worship in the Bible 
sense. 

Here was indeed a marvel: men coming from a great dis- 
tance to do homage to the Messiah, whom his own church, with in- 
spired prophecy in their hands, knew nothing of and cared less 
about knowing. No wonder Jesus said, ' ' Many shall come from 
the East and the West and shall sit down in the kingdom of heaven. 
But the children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness: 
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ' ' 

There is an innate desire for holiness of heart born in every 
man. There are no more zealous seekers for holiness than among 
the heathen today. See what men are inflicting on themselves 
in India today in the vain endeavor to purify their souls. We 
have no doubt these wise men were moved by this impulse. It 
was joy to the wise men to seek and find Jesus, even if they did 
not understand clearly their motive in seeking him. 

The world today do not oppose holiness as bitterly as back- 
slidden ecclesiastics. The world often say "if we were to be 
a Christian that would be the kind we would be. " Common sense 
teaches men that the religion of Jesus should make us holy. 

HOLINESS DRAWS OUT THE OPPOSITION OF THE 
CARNAL MIND. Vs. 3-4. 

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, 
and all Jerusalem with him. 

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of 
the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be iborn. 

It is singular how the same event will differently affect dif- 
ferent people. While the first advent was a joy to the wise men, 
it was a source of disturbance to Herod and all Jerusalem. His 
second advent will be a joy to some and a terror to others, accord- 
ing to each one's character. So Herod called together the chief 
priests and scribes. This was undoubtedly that body known as 
the Sanhedrim, the chief legislative body of the Jews. It was 
composed of seventy-one members. This was the same council that 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 23 

sentenced Jesus to death later. Herod demanded of them where 
the Messiah would be born. Herod and all Jerusalem in distress 
because a little babe had come to Bethlehem! They were afraid 
some sect or party might advance him as king and there would 
be a revolution in the government. This was the ostensible reason. 
But the real reason was Satan knew what the birth of that child 
meant to his kingdom. He stirred up the carnal mind in Herod 
and the eeclesiasticism of the day to destroy the holy child Jesus. 
Peter and John tell us this in their prayer after being released 
from the council, "For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, 
whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with 
the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together. ' ' 
(Acts 4:27.) As sure as there is a God, there is a devil; as certain 
as there is a Christ, there is also a Beelzebub ; as true as there is a 
heaven, there is also a hell; as certain as there is holiness, there is 
also sin; as sure as there is the mind of Christ there is also the 
carnal mind; as really as holiness comes to this world incarnate, 
the carnal mind is incarnate in Herod and a backslidden eeclesias- 
ticism to destroy it if possible. It is so today. Holiness work 
and workers are opposed. As sure as the Christ life comes into 
your heart by the new birth, so sure will you find the old Herod 
of inbred sin there seeking to destroy your spiritual life. That 
is the cause of the up and down life of so many; the "prone to 
wander" experience. Paul says "the Spirit lusteth against the 
flesh and the flesh against the Spirit." It is the battle with 
the carnal mind which every believer has felt before he was entirely 
sanctified. The carnal mind is always against holiness. The oppo- 
sition that the holiness movement receives proves the existence of 
the carnal mind. No other cause is so opposed. Holiness makes 
trouble for sin. This little babe was a troubler in Israel. It is 
astonishing how the littlest and most feeble who are in anyway 
identified with holiness make trouble in an unholy eeclesiasticism. 
One little professor of holiness in a worldly church will give more 
sleepless night hours to the preacher and cause more uneasiness 
and even anger in an official board than scores of members, who, 
by their attendance on the theatre and the dance, are breaking their 
solemn church vows every week. Those who profess and live and 
advocate holiness in many churches are called ' ' Troublers in 



24 COMMENTABY ON THE GOSPEL 

Israel," just as Elijah was considered by Ahab, the wicked king. 
Enoch, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Stephen, (the man filled with 
the Holy Ghost), Jesus, the sinless, and multitudes in the common 
walks of life have been lights in the world, but were despised be- 
cause their brightness condemned the spotted characters upon 
whom they shone. A straight stick reflects by its very appearance 
upon the crooked sticks all about it. A straight man is a reproach to 
those who love to be crooked. "Men love darkness rather than 
light because their deeds are evil." It is a trouble to sin, to have 
holiness in its vicinity. 

CARNALITY HINDERS SPIRITUAL VISION. Vs. 5-6. 

5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea : for thus it 
is written by the prophet, 

6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least 
among the princes of Juda : for out of thee shall come a Governor, 
that shall rule my people Israel. 

The scribes quoted to Herod from the prophet Mieah (Chap. 
5:2) a passage showing that the Messiah would be born in Beth- 
lehem of Judea. This was the very council that afterwards con- 
demned him to death. They here bring forth one of the great 
proof texts of his Messiahship, viz. : that he fulfilled this prophecy 
of Micah uttered seven hundred years before. They thus gave 
acknowledgement to his lowly birth in "Bethlehem in Juda, least 
among the princes of Juda." The heads of the families of the 
nation were called princes. It is a sad thing to be like these 
students of the Scriptures, who failed to see the principal theme 
of their Scriptures — Jesus, the Christ. And there are thousands 
of Bible scholars today, well instructed in the topography, geo- 
graphy, customs and morals of the Bible, who are as blind, in 
failing to see what Jesus came to do — to "destroy the works of 
the devil." The real inner spiritual meaning of the Scriptures 
must be spiritually discerned. Sin in the heart hinders spiritual 
vision. Ecclesiastics, doctors of divinity and learned men are, 
many of them, as blind to holiness in the Word of God, as were 
the great Bible scholars of Jesus' day in seeing him. Like the 
scribes and Pharisees, they have their way of explaining it away. 
The Bible generally has been interpreted in the interests of sin 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 25 

rather than holiness. Men have insisted on sin as an experience 
but have held up holiness as an idealistic, visionary, indefinite thing 
of no present realization. Satan's power has been held up as 
actually greater than the power of Jesus to save from the works 
of the devil. 

SUBTERFUGES USED TO DESTROY HOLINESS. Vs. 7-9. 

7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired 
of them diligently what time the star appeared. 

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search dili- 
gently for the young child ; and when ye have found him, bring me 
word again, that I may come and worship him also. 

9 When they had heard the king, they departed ; and, lo, the 
star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and 
stood over where the young child was. 

Herod having learned the place where Jesus was born, now 
concocted a scheme to kill him. He believed the Bible, but pur- 
posed to violate one of its great commands — "Thou shalt not 
kill. ' ' Thousands like him believe the Bible and disobey it. Their 
damnation will be great because they sin against great light. 
To all intents and purposes Herod was a murderer of Jesus. All 
he lacked was the opportunity. The wise men went to Herod, 
(the wrong person) to find Jesus. It is a sad fact that Jesus is 
not found in the high places of earth. He and his holiness are not 
popular there. The wise men following their light — the star — 
will have a better reckoning in the Judgment than Herod and the 
Sanhedrim who had the Scriptures, and therefore had greater 
guilt. Herod gave as his reason for wishing to know where the 
child was "that I may come and worship him also." His real 
reason was that he might kill him. Jesus was finally killed under 
the false charge that he was a blasphemer. The real reason was 
because the chief priests and scribes hated him because he won 
the affections of the people away from themselves. Stephen was 
condemned and killed under the false charge of blasphemy. Usual- 
ly when holy people are condemned it is because their holiness is 
obnoxious to the carnal mind, and hence some false charge is 
raised to conceal the real reason. It is the old battle of the carnal 
mind. 



26 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

IN EVERY AGE THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW WHO APPRE- 
CIATED THE VALUE OF HOLINESS. Vs. 10-11. 

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great 
joy. 

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young 
child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him : 
and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him 
gifts ; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 

The wise men had lost the light of the star because, instead of 
following it, they stopped to inquire of ungodly ecclesiastics (a 
lesson for us). But when they left the presence of the king the 
star re-appeared, which led them to the house where the young 
child was. The multitudes who had gathered to be enrolled on 
the tax-list (Luke 2:1-7) had dispersed and Mary had taken the 
child from the stable to the house. The wise men fell down and 
offered him the costly gifts usually bestowed on royalty in those 
days — ' ' gold and frankincense and myrrh. ' ' These riches came 
providentially, for Joseph and Mary would need them for their 
subsistence in their sojourn in Egypt shortly after this. 

The wise men came joyfully to worship Jesus and yielded him 
their costly gifts. There have been a few in every dispensation, 
who have yielcTed their best to Jesus; and have felt it a joy to 
do so ; they have recognized the beauty of holiness and have gladly 
acknowledged it, but like the wise men, they have been few in 
number. 

GOD IS ON THE SIDE OF HOLINESS. Vs. 12-15. 

12 And heing warned of God in a dream that they should not re- 
turn to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. 

13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord 
appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young 
child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I 
bring thee word : for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 

14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by 
night, and departed into Egypt : 

15 And was there until the death of Herod : that it might be ful- 
filled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of 
Egypt have I called my son. 

The plottings of the wicked against Jesus and his holy cause can 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 27 

never succeed only as far as God permits, and he permits only as 
far as in the end shall further advance his glory. God, the Father, 
was watching over the infant Jesus, whose preservation was so 
essential to the salvation of the human race. Had he been slain 
at this time holiness would have forever been extinct in all the 
earth. 

God warned the wise men in a dream, concerning the purpose of 
Herod. They were wise indeed, for they never went back to Herod, 
but went home another way. So he did not find out from them 
where the young child was. And when they had departed, the 
angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and told him 
to set off for Egypt at once for Herod had determined to kill 
the young child. There is such a thing as anticipatory grace, 
preparing God's people in advance for coming trouble, God 
still watches over the cause of holiness, with as jealous care as 
he did over its great Exemplar in his infant days. This is the 
reason it has not been wiped off the face of the earth. Any other 
cause would have perished long ago had it received the same treat- 
ment from wicked men and a backslidden church. Let us be en- 
couraged, for the God, who turned aside the wise men, and gave 
warning to Joseph is caring for holiness, which Jesus came to 
establish upon earth, and God is mightier than all adversaries. 

THE CEUELTY OF THE CAKNAL MIND. Vs. 16-18. 

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise 
men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children 
that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years 
old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired 
of the wise men. 

17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken hy Jeremy the 
prophet, saying, 

18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, 
and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not 
be comforted, because they are not. 

The cruelty of the natural heart of man is seen in Herod who 
caused the slaughter of scores of innocent babes. There is noth- 
ing too fiendish for man to do. These infants were the first Chris- 
tian martyrs. Men prate about the natural goodness of man, but 
there is nothing so wicked and cruel as the human heart. It 



30 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

and God will have them to the end, for the very last part of the 
Bible says, ' ' Let him that is holy be holy still. ' ' 

The men whom God has used in the great spiritual crises of the 
world have been holy men. No man is qualified* for the ministry 
until he is " filled with the Spirit, ' ' and no man is properly quali- 
fied for the duties of life, be he minister or layman unless he be 
thus endowed. What John and a few others enjoyed under the 
Old Dispensation is now available to all. It is not only a privilege 
but it is made a duty (Eph. 5:18.), just as truly as obedience to 
the ten commandments. 

John came preaching, that is, like a herald announcing the 
coming kingdom of heaven. Preaching is heralding or ' ' telling ' ' 
the story of Jesus who will come and set up his kingdom in the 
hearts of those who turn from sin. 

He came thus preaching in the wilderness (the thinly settled 
country near the river Jordan) of Judea. 

His message was a stern command to a backslidden church to 
repent. Elijah, John and Jesus were evangelists to the church. 
There is much disparagement of evangelism to the church in these 
days, especially holiness evangelism. John was a holiness evangelist, 
telling the church of Jesus who should baptize all proper candi- 
dates, with the Holy Ghost and fire. Holiness evangelism is there- 
fore duly accredited of God. 

THE DOUBLE MESSAGE OF HIS MINISTRY: JUSTIFICA- 
TION AND REGENERATION. Vs. 2-10. 

2 And saying, Repent ye : for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, say- 
ing, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way o£ 
the Lord, make his paths straight. 

4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a 
leathern girdle about his loins ; and his meat was locusts and wild 
honey. 

5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the 
region round about Jordan, 

6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come 
to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath 
warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 

8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance : 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 31 

9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to 
our father : for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to 
raise up children unto Abraham. 

10 And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees : there- 
fore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, 
and cast into the fire. 

His stern command was Bepent. The word, repent here means 
in the Greek, to perceive afterwards; hence to change one's mind. 
It means after one has been convinced of the folly and heinousness 
of sin he changes his mind towards it, in the sense that he aban- 
dons it. This Greek word does not mean sorrow. Repentance is 
accompanied by sorrow, but mere sorrow for sin is not repentance. 
Many, like the prodigal, have been sorry for their sins, but like 
him they repented only when they forsook sin and confessed it. He 
gives the reason why they should repent thus, "for the king- 
dom of heaven is at hand." The phrase "Kingdom of heaven" 
is used only by Matthew. Mark uses the phrase "Kingdom of 
God." Albert Barnes thinks "the reign of heaven" would be a 
better translation. There are two departments of the kingdom of 
heaven — the kingdom of grace here and glory above. Wherever 
the will of God is done, there is the kingdom of heaven. The 
Jews made the mistake in supposing that it was a temporal, 
political kingdom, that the Messiah should set up. Jesus told 
them in one place that it is a spiritual kingdom; "the kingdom of 
heaven is within you." He told Pilate "my kingdom is not of 
this world." 

John came to tell this corrupt people that if they would for- 
sake their sins, they should enter this spiritual kingdom. John 
and Jesus began their ministry by preaching repentance to a cor- 
rupt church. Often the professed church needs the message of re- 
pentance before the higher doctrines can be preached. 

Repentance then is the condition of entrance into the kingdom 
of God. There never has been any other way in and never will 
be. And when the ministry cease preaching repentance and the 
membership of the church increases at the same time, it means an 
unconverted church. 

Matthew here tells us that John fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 
(Esaias is the Greek form of the name Isaiah) Ch. 40:3. "The 
voice of one crying in the wilderness. ' ' John was a voice. Truth 



32 COMMENTAKY ON THE GOSPEL 

has to be voiced. It is not enough to print it or write it. And 
voiced too by a holy man. A sermon is more than words. It is the 
expression of the personality of a holy man. Therefore all 
preachers should be holy, otherwise the truth will be shorn of its 
power and be weak. The people suffer and are robbed of what is 
due them if the ministry are not holy. And no eloquence, learning 
or education can compensate for that lack. We owe it to the 
people that we be holy as preachers and teachers. His message 
was il Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." 
It was customary in Eastern countries when a king was coming 
to straighten the roads, fill up the valleys and level the hills. Ee- 
pentance does this. John's very appearance taught repentance. 
His retirement from the world into the wilderness showed that 
he would not be a partaker of the great corruption of the times. 
His loose garments made of the long shaggy hair of the camel 
and belted with a leather girdle indicated, as such garments did in 
that day, austerity and severity towards the luxuries of sin, 
and his food of locusts, which is still an article of food in that 
country indicated abstinence and fasting. 

Character can not be hid. A holy man like John may be in the 
wilderness, but people will find it out. And so they did. The 
whole country came to his preaching. It was a genuine revival. 
Men genuinely repented and were baptized of him in the river 
Jordan, confessing their sins. 

Among others who came were Pharisees and Saddueees. The 
Pharisees were a sect among the Jews who affected piety superior 
to that of the rest of the people. The word Pharisee means, 
separate; about the same as consecrated. There is no doubt that 
at one time they were a pure people, but they degenerated. This 
sect arose as a protest against heathen customs which had crept in 
among the Jews. After a time instead of remaining separate and 
pure they became corrupt, relying on their past experience. This 
has been the history of many sects and churches since their day. 
History ever repeats itself. They were the worst foes with whom 
Jesus had to contend. Pharisaism is the worst foe of holiness, 
Lyman Abbott says, "It is hardly too much to say that the 
spirit of Pharisaism has continued to be in all ages the most 
dangerous and deadly enemy of Christianity, even when it has as- 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 33 

sumed the name and pretended to revere the memory of Jesus 
Christ. ' ' 

The Saddueees were the infidels and materialists of that day. 
They denied the existence of the soul after death and rejected all 
the Old Testament except the Pentateuch. They opposed Jesus in 
his ministry. They evidently came to John's preaching out of 
motives of inquiry or curiosity. They were not baptized by him. 
They rejected the light. (Matt. 21:32.) 

John rebuked both classes and likened them to vipers. Eebuke 
is sometimes necessary. We are commanded to "exhort, rebuke 
with all longsuff ering and doctrine. ' ' He asked them the question : 
"Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come 1 ?" John, 
without doubt, was preaching the wrath of God that was about to 
come on Jerusalem, and also the destruction of impenitent men 
at the final judgment. They thought because they were members 
of the Jewish church, that is, had Abraham for their father, there- 
fore they would be saved from the wrath to come. Many are 
making the same sad mistake today, thinking church membership 
will save them. John assures them that to escape the wrath to 
come they must have a genuine repentance. He makes no allow- 
ance for a sinning religion, so popular in some modern ecclesiastical 
circles. 

He then warned them that justice was delayed a while longer. 
Just as a woodsman lays his axe up against the tree while he 
takes off his coat, preparatory to chopping it down, so God has 
suspended judgment a little while, waiting for them to repent. 
God gives nations and individuals plenty of opportunity to be 
saved, if they will, but the time comes when probation ceases. 

John preached the doctrines of conversion. The word conversion 
means literally turning about. It is a complex term and includes 
justification, regeneration, repentance, faith and the witness of the 
Spirit. These are all experienced when a man is "converted." 
A true Gospel preacher declares all these doctrines in his preaching. 
No preacher of the Gospel declares them any more plainly today 
than did John in his six months' ministry in the wilderness. We 
shall show this, and therefore be compelled to believe that John 
preached the first degree of salvation, just as preachers do today. 

He preached repentance (Verse 2). It was genuine repentance 



34 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

for he required them to bring forth appropriate fruits in their 
lives (Verse 8 and Luke 3:8). He preached confession of sins, 
and the record is that the people confessed their sins (vs. 6). 
He preached justification, which is the pardon or remission of sins 
(See Luke 1 :77; Mark 1 :4). He taught faith in Jesus as necessary 
to salvation. See John 3:36, where it will be seen that John 
the Baptist is talking. Also see Acts 19:4. He also preached the 
doctrine of regeneration or eternal life as a present possession 
in this life (John 3:36). He also taught assurance of sins for- 
given (Luke 1:77). There is no phase of conversion that was 
not brought out in John's preaching. Multitudes came from all 
quarters, yielded to the truth and were baptized with water as a 
confession of having received the experience that John preached. 
He preached the first degree of salvation. 

THE DOUBLE MESSAGE OF HIS MINISTRY— ENTIRE 
SANCTIFICATION. Vs. 11-12. 

11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance ; but be 
that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not 
worthy to bear : he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with 
fire: 

John was a genuine gospel preacher. He not only preached 
justification and regeneration, which are the experiences obtained 
at conversion, but he went further, he preached entire sanctifica- 
tion. (Let us say in passing that we use the term experience in 
reference to justification in a restricted sense, for lack of a better 
word.) John preached entire sanctification as an experience be- 
yond and after conversion. He said to those whom he had already 
baptized "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but 
he that cometh after me is mightier than I. ... He shall 
baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. ' ' Here he teaches 
another baptism. 

They had been baptized with water, and by the symbol of water 
expressed the fact that they had forsaken their sinful acts, for 
the word baptism means cleansing. John tells them that Jesus 
would baptize them with the Holy Ghost, symbolized not by water, 
but by fire. Fire is another cleanser. It can go deeper than water. 
Water baptism signified a clean outward life. Now the Holy 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 35 

Ghost would, like fire, cleanse (or baptize) the inward sinfulness 
entirely out of them. This is what John Wesley styles "the 
second blessing properly so called. " This was fulfilled at Pente- 
cost, when cloven tongues like as of fire rested upon them and 
Peter declared (Acts 15:9) that their hearts were purified. 

Some sincere people, who are not familiar with the laws of 
language have fallen into grievous error at this point and have 
supposed that a third blessing is taught here — a fire blessing — 
because John said "with the Holy Ghost and fire." Those who 
understand the figures of rhetoric will never make such a blunder. 
This is what is called in rhetoric, Hendiadys. It means in Greek, 
"one by two." It means the same idea expressed by two words. 
Webster in his unabridged dictionary gives it, this definition, "A 
figure in which the idea is expressed by two nouns connected by 
and, instead of by a noun and a limiting adjective; as we drink 
from cups and gold, for golden cups." It is the same as if John 
had said, He shall baptize you with the fiery baptism of the Holy 
Ghost. Just as when Jesus told Nicodemus ' ' except a man be born 
of water and the Spirit, he can not see the kingdom of God," he 
did not mean two births — one of water and the other of the 
Spirit, but he meant that water was the symbol of the Spirit 's 
work in the new birth. 

It will be seen then that these two experiences justification and 
entire sanctification, are not received at one and the same time, for 
Jesus speaking to his disciples, who had received the baptism of 
John, said nearly three years later "John truly baptized with 
water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many 
days hence" (Acts 1:5). 

JESUS CAME TO PUEGE HIS CHURCH. Vs. 12. 

12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his 
floor, and gather his wheat into the garner ; but he will burn up the 
chaff with unquenchable fire. 

John alludes to the ancient method of winnowing grain. The 
chaff was fanned out of the wheat; and then burned up. In like 
manner Jesus will make a separation in his church. Those who 
seek to be baptized with the fiery baptism that destroys sin will 



36 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

be gathered into his garner. Those who refuse to be saved from 
all sin will be destroyed. It is holiness or Hell. God is still 
making the separation in his church between those who seek and 
obtain a pure heart and those who seek to keep the old man alive, 
and love sin so much they refuse to be cleansed from it. He will 
burn up sin or he will burn up us. Which will we have — holiness 
or hell? 

JESUS ILLUSTRATES THE NEED OF HIS CHURCH— THE 
DIVINE ANOINTING AND TESTIMONY. Vs. 13-17. 

13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to ibe 
baptized of him. 

14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of 
thee, and comest thou to me? 

15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to he so now; 
for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered 
him. 

16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of 
the water : and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw 
the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him : 

17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, 
in whom I am well pleased. 

Was Jesus baptized in the same sense and for the same reason, 
as is the Christian believer? We say, No. He had committed no 
sin and therefore needed no baptism for the remission or forgive- 
ness of sins. He needed no regeneration as sinners do. His bap- 
tism was a part of his ordination to the priesthood which he now 
entered at the age of 30 — the required age to enter the priest- 
hood (Luke 3:23). Washing with water was a part of the cere- 
mony required in being ordained to the priesthood. Exodus 29: 
1-35 and Leviticus 8:1-36 tell us that the priest was washed with 
water, which symbolized and was a public renunciation of sin, 
and then he was anointed with oil, which was emblematic of the 
anointing with the Holy Spirit. So Jesus was about to enter 
upon his public ministry as a priest, and by his baptism publicly 
renounced sin, and then was really anointed with the Holy Spirit. 
Read Numbers Ch. 4: verses 3, 35, 39, 43, 47. As John was about 
laying down his work to be succeeded by Jesus, this was a public 
declaration that Jesus was to continue the work begun by John, 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 37 

showing that John and Jesus were in harmony in their office work. 
While the anointing with oil was substituted by the anointing of 
the Spirit, which the anointing with oil, under the Old Dispensa- 
tion, typified. It was his ordination for the office of priest. Jesus 
was not baptized with the Holy Spirit as some teach, for baptism 
means cleansing. He had no sins to be forgiven and no sinful 
nature from which to be cleansed. He was anointed for service 
(See Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27; 10:38). Jesus was praying when 
the Holy Spirit came upon Him. He -rayed on all the important 
occasions of his life. 

The Christian is a priest (Eev. 1:5-6). He is called by many 
different names in the Bible — salt, light, a witness, etc. — but the 
term priest combines them all. We are priests to mediate between 
man and God; to pray this lost world home to God, and to prevail 
on this lost world to seek God, and we too need to be anointed 
with the Holy Spirit to qualify us for our work. St. John says 
the church of his day had this anointing (1 John 2:27). We too 
need the testimony that we belong to God and are his sons. No 
man can do work for God with confidence who is not fully equipped, 
furnished with power, and persuaded that he belongs to God alone. 
To sum up the chapter: the holy man's business is to prepare the 
way and introduce Jesus to mankind. 



CHAPTER IV. 
HOLY PEOPLE ARE TEMPTED. 

The Threefold Temptations Peculiar to Those Who Are Entirely 
Sanctified. Vs. 1-11. Tested by Temptation Holy People Are 
Fitted to Shine. Vs. 12-16. Repentance, the Foundation of 
Holiness, Must be Preached by Holiness Preachers. Vs. 17. 
The Object of a Holy Ministry— to Save Men. Vs. 18-22. Holi- 
ness is Full of Good Works and Sheds Forth a Hallowed Influ- 
ence. Vs. 23-25. 

THE THEEEFOLD TEMPTATIONS PECULIAR TO THOSE 
WHO ARE ENTIRELY SANCTIFIED. Vs. 1-11. 

1 Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to 
be tempted of the devil. 

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was 
afterward an hungred. 

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the 
Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 

4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by 
bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth 
of God. 

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him 
on a pinnacle of the temple. 

6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself 
down : for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning 
thee : and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time 
thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt 
the Lord thy God. 

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high moun- 
tain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of 
them ; 

9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou 
wilt fall down and worship me. 

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan : for it is 

39 



40 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt 
thou serve. 

11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and 
ministered unto him. 

Jesus, being now publicly set apart for his life work, exempli- 
fies the preacher of holiness and the holy way. The first thing He 
met was severe temptation. Great blessings are usually followed 
by great temptations. God intends after He has given us great 
grace to allow it to be developed by great tests just as in nature 
he develops the hardy oak by the fierce blast of the storm which 
not only proves its strength but causes it to root deeper. It takes 
great temptation as well as great grace to make a great preacher. 
It requires great trials as well as great grace to make eminent 
saints. "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation." Yet 
how few appreciate their blessedness while the temptation is going 
on ! Every reform and every true reformer in the church has been 
opposed by Satan, with good reason, for true spiritual work means 
the subversion of the kingdom of Satan. The latter never an- 
tagonizes spurious religion. How much Satan saw in Jesus of 
Nazareth, or whether he realized at this time that Jesus was divine 
we do not pretend to say. But he had tested all the great religious 
leaders of the past — Abraham, Moses, Elijah, David and others, 
and some had gone down under his temptations. Now he tries 
his assaults upon the Son of God. How could he tempt Jesus? We 
do not know how to answer this. How he tempts and overthrows 
eminent saints sometimes, who have been blessed of God in the 
past we do not understand. There are many facts too profound 
for us to understand. 

Did he really take Jesus to a pinnacle of the temple or to 
a high mountain? or did he take him there in imagination only? 
Commentators are not agreed on this. But of one thing we are 
certain; the temptations were just as real to the soul of Jesus 
as if he had. There is just as surely a Satan — a person — as there 
is a Christ. Both are mentioned in Scripture. Jesus came "to 
destroy the works of the devil," which are sin and sins. And 
here the contest begins. 

It was a phase of the old conflict of the ages, between sin and 
holiness, that is still going on. The first Adam was defeated by 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 41 

Satan in a paradise. The second Adam here defeated Satan in a 
wilderness. 

Jesus was "led by tbe Spirit into the wilderness." He did not 
thrust himself into temptation. God never tempts us, but suffers 
us to be tempted either for our good or that of others. We do 
not by any means think that the temptations recorded here were 
the only temptations that Jesus met at this time. Luke says he 
was tempted forty days (Luke 4:2). 

These three temptations illustrate the three fold nature of 
temptations peculiar to holy people. The author of Hebrews 
says of Jesus, he was ' ' tempted in all points like as without sin. ' ' 
A reference to Hebrews 4:15 will show that the words there, 
"we are" are italicized and not in the original, but supplied by 
the translators. It means he was tempted just as much or in the 
manner that one can be tempted who is without sin. Adam was 
without sin when he was tempted, but he fell. Jesus was without 
sin when he was tempted and he triumphed. The difference be- 
tween the temptations of one without sin and one who is sinful 
is that the temptations to the one without sin are all from the 
outside, while the temptations of the one who is sinful are both 
from the inside and the outside. The latter is tempted by his own 
sinful heart within and the devil and the world from without. 

There is a base slander current that holy people profess to 
have arrived at a place in experience where they are no longer 
tempted. The holiest people on earth, like Jesus, have been most 
severely tempted. 

Some good people have been puzzled to understand how a holy 
being can be tempted. The temptation of Jesus is a mystery. 
If we could understand it, we could explain how holy men can be 
tempted. A temptation is a suggestion to wrong doing, usually 
made plausible by an attempted persuasion that wrong doing will 
be better for our interests. 

Let us remember that it is no mark of sin to be tempted. 
We note then the threefold nature of the temptation peculiar to 
those who are entirely sanctified. 

1. The temptation to fanaticism. "He was afterward an 
hungred. " Satan knows just the most advantageous time to 
make his attack. He came when Jesus was physically weak from 



42 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

his long fasting. "If thou be the Son of God." This was a 
very subtle mode of attack. It was as much as to say, ' ' Are you, 
after all, what you claim to be and if so make proof of it. If 
you were really the Son of God, you would not be here alone in 
the wilderness famishing for bread. You ought to do something 
great right now to show your power. You could make bread 
out of these stones if you were the Son of God." It was an 
appeal to him to show off his power. Right here is where fanati- 
cism begins. It is a glorification of self. It is an attempt to 
let people know what a superior position and experience we have. 
Such people have the idea that no one is sincere except themselves 
and that they are the favored ones of heaven. The Spirit who led 
Jesus into the wilderness would supply His wants. Jesus could 
trust Him. The fanaticism of the Pharisees was that they added 
to the Word of God their own traditions and thought by keeping 
them, they were superior to the rest of the church. The fanatic 
has a superior opinion of himself. This leads to a spirit of un- 
charity towards those who do not see as he does, and a magnify- 
ing of the non-essentials of religion to the neglect of the chief 
part of religion — the love of God in the soul. Fanaticism usually 
reacts into infidelity. The fanatic is usually sincere. The devil 
finds he can not hold him back, so he seeks to push him ahead 
too far. Jesus answers the temptation with Scripture. See how 
the Lord himself used the Scriptures. He replied, "It is written 
thou shalt not live by bread alone, but by every word that pro- 
ceedeth out of the mouth of God." He quoted from Deut. 8:3. 
Our Lord in each temptation put his seal and endorsement on the 
Old Testament, that much criticized and neglected book. Fanati- 
cism trusts in itself and its own opinions and impressions more 
than in the teaching of the Word of God. It seeks extraordinary 
manifestations — visions, tongues, etc. If we obey the plain teach- 
ings of Scripture, we shall be saved from fanaticism. 2. The 
temptation to presumption. Satan, foiled in his first attack, comes 
again. He takes Jesus to a pinnacle of the temple and bids him 
cast himself down that the people may see the wonder of his being 
preserved by miraculous power. This would give him the favor of 
the people at once and save the persecution and opposition which 
were to come later. It was a way of escape from the cross. Satan 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 43 

even uses Scripture saying "It is written, He shall give His 
angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they shall 
bear thee up lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. ' ' 
This is a quotation from Psa. 91:11. The devil knows Scripture 
and can quote it when it suits his purpose. He finds that Jesus 
relies on the Word and quotes it. So he too quotes it. Misapplied 
Scripture had done much mischief. There is not a damnable 
fanaticism under heaven but has sought to bring the Bible to its 
assistance. St. Jerome says, "If the text which he quotes refers 
to Christ, he ought to have added what there follows against him- 
self — the dragon shalt thou tread under thy feet." (See Psa. 91: 
13.) It would be presumption for Jesus to needlessly put himself 
into danger and expect the angels to preserve him. Some of the 
saddest breakdowns have come to people who needlessly put them- 
selves in the way of temptation, relying on God to keep them, be- 
cause they had such a good experience. They are weeping tears 
of bitterness today. Faith may be pushed too far and end in pre- 
sumption, for "Evil communications corrupt good manners." We 
must keep off the devil's territory unless we have some duty to 
perform there. 3. The temptation to compromise. The great 
mission of Jesus was to die for the sins of the world. He looked 
forward to the cross as the climax of a life of suffering, privation, 
and persecution even unto death. The devil takes him up into an 
exceeding high mountain and shows him the kingdoms of this world 
and the glory of them ; and saith unto him, ' ' All these things will 
I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me." Alas it is 
too true, the devil is the god of this world, as he claimed. Jesus 
could have avoided the cross and its humiliation and have become 
the king of all nations with Jerusalem as his capital. It would 
have been an evasion of the cross. Several times afterwards the 
same temptation was presented when the people wanted to make 
him a king. Th devil has his worship today and his temples of 
worship. We have this path of compromise opened before us con- 
stantly. To walk the straight and narrow way today means to 
bear the cross to be stigmatized as fanatical, puritanical, etc. All 
sorts of expedients and excuses are offered today to tone down 
holiness and its advancement and work. It costs something today 
to walk in the middle of the way without compromising. 



44 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

Jesus again defeats him by giving him the scriptural quota- 
tion recorded in Deuteronomy, "Get thee hence Satan: for it is 
written, thou shalt worship the Lord, thy God, and him only shalt 
thou serve. ' ' He tells us to do the same : ' ' Resist the devil and he 
will flee. ' ' He called him by his name, Satan, for the first time, 
to let him know that he recognizes him. It will be noticed that two 
names are given here — Satan (vs. 10) and the devil (vs. 11) to 
the same person. The word devil signifies accuser (Eev. 12:9-10). 
He is also called Abaddon in the Hebrew language, and Ap oily on 
in Greek, both words meaning the Destroyer (Rev. 9:11); also 
Belial — a good-for-nothing (2 Cor. 6:15) ; also Satan, which means, 
an adversary (Job 2:1). He is as real a personage here as Jesus. 
To deny the personality of one would be therefore a denial of the 
personality of the other. 

The devil (vs. 11) now leaves Jesus for a season. It suits his 
purpose better to sometimes leave us for a season, only that his 
next attack may be more effective. 

TESTED BY TEMPTATION HOLY PEOPLE ARE FITTED 
TO SHINE. Vs. 12-16. 

12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he 
departed into Galilee ; 

13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, 
which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Neph- 
thalim : 

14 That it might he fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the 
prophet, saying, 

15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, T>y the way 
of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles ; 

16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light ; and to them 
which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 

Luke tells us that ' ' Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit. ' ' 
(Luke 4:14). This is true of every holy soul who gets victory 
over temptation, It makes him more efficient. He went first to 
Nazareth on the Sabbath day into the synagogue and the light of 
holiness shone through him but they drove him out of the city — 
too much holiness for them (Luke 4:29-31), so he came and dwelt 
in Capernaum (vs. 13) one of the chief cities of Galilee on the 
northern coast of the Sea of Galilee. By going into Galilee, he 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 45 

fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 9:1-2 in a marked degree. Holy 
men, like Jesus, are great lights in a world of moral darkness, ' ' in 
the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom they 
shine as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:15). 

REPENTANCE, THE FOUNDATION OF HOLINESS MUST 
BE PREACHED BY HOLINESS PREACHERS. Vs. 17. 

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent : 
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

Jesus was a preacher all his life after this. He here preaches 
repentance at the beginning of his ministry, but later he preached 
the more advanced truths of Christianity. Repentance is a sadly 
neglected doctrine in the preaching of today. Few except the 
holiness preachers now preach it. We must therefore emphasize 
it, as others do not. 

THE OBJECT OF A HOLY MINISTRY— TO SAVE MEN. 
Vs. 18-22. 

18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, 
Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the 
sea : for they were fishers. 

19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you 
fishers of men. 

20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 

21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James 
the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee 
their father, mending their nets ; and he called them. 

22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and fol- 
lowed him. 

Here we have mentioned the call of Peter, Andrew, James and 
John — his leading disciples. John, the Baptist had already in- 
troduced Peter, Andrew and John to Jesus (John 1:35-42). "Mark 
both their faith* and obedience. For though they were in the 
midst of their work (and ye know how greedy a thing fishing 
is), when they heard his call, they delayed not, they procrastinated 
not, they said not 'let us return home and converse with our kins- 
folk, ' but they forsook all and followed, even as Elisha did Elijah ' ' 
(Chrysostom). Jesus called them, not to learn to preach great 



46 COMMENT ABY ON THE GOSPEL 

sermons, not to spend their time making beautiful nets, not to 
cultivate the graces of rhetoric or oratory, but to get men saved. 
A good education and great sermon making are not the object for 
which the ministry is called. These are only means towards the 
end — catching men. How many efforts of the ministry seem not 
to have the remotest reference to soul saving. The preacher is 
to abandon all things else and not entangle himself in the things 
of this world, in order to be a true minister of Jesus Christ. 

HOLINESS IS FULL OF GOOD WOEKS AND SHEDS FOKTH 
A HALLOWED INFLUENCE. Vs. 23-25. 

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their syna- 
gogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all 
manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 

24 And his fame went throughout all Syria : and they brought 
unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and 
torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those 
which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy ; and he healed 
them. 

25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Gali- 
lee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and 
from beyoDd Jordan. 

Having been anointed by the Spirit, and having been victorious 
in the wilderness temptation, he now went about seeking the peo- 
ple; not to get something from them, but to do them good. Holi- 
ness is that love of which Paul speaks in 1 Cor. 13 that "seeketh 
not her own." We are not to wait until people send for us, but 
we are to go out after them, whether they want us or not. Un- 
sanctified people are ever on the go to get good. Sanctified people 
are seeking others to do them good. He "gave himself for us 
that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself 
a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). So Jesus 
went throughout all Galilee ministering to the souls and bodies of 
the people. His miracles of healing called their attention to his 
preaching and at the same time were symbolical of the soul cure, 
which he is just as able to effect. He sought not the rich but 
the neglected poor. This is a characteristic of a holy ministry. 
This is as much a duty as the keeping of the ten commandments. 
No wonder it says, "Great multitudes followed him." A holy 
ministry means not only perfect love to God but perfect love to 
man. 



CHAPTER V. 
A SERMON ON HOLINESS. 

Holiness Preached to the Church. Vs. 1. Eleven Characteristics of 
Holiness. Vs. 2-16. Holiness Inspires Fear in Ecclesiastics 
Lest the Old Order be Broken up. Vs. 17-18. Holiness is Inside 
Righteousness. Vs. 19-20. The Hidden Man of the Heart Must 
be Holy. Vs. 21-28. Holiness is Separation from All Sin. Vs. 
29-32. The Hidden Man seen in Our Talk. Vs. 33-37. Holi- 
ness is Perfect Love Towards God and Man. Vs. 38-48. 

HOLINESS PEEACHED TO THE CHURCH. Vs. 1. 

1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain ; and 
when he was set, his disciples came unto him : 

Jesus ' ' seeing the multitudes ' ' who had been gathered together 
by his miracles of healing, recorded in the last chapter, went 
up into a mountain probably Mt. Hattin (So says tradition). Such 
wonderful cases of healing would have attracted multitudes even in 
our day. He seems to have preached this sermon, not to the 
multitude but to his disciples, according to this verse. ("His 
disciples came unto him. ' ') These disciples had evidently been re- 
generated under the ministry of John the Baptist, for they had 
been the disciples of John (John 1:35-51). Jesus preached this 
sermon on holiness to them. All the commands, and exhortations 
in the Bible, to holiness, without exception are addressed to saved 
people — not one is addressed to the unconverted. The unconverted 
are exhorted to be born again. Disciples only are urged to be holy. 

ELEVEN CHARACTERISTICS OF HOLINESS. Vs. 2-16. 

2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit : for their's is the kingdom of 
heaven. 

47 



48 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

4 Blessed are they that mourn : for they shall be comforted. 

5 Blessed are the meek : for they shall inherit the earth. 

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteous- 
ness : for they shall be filled. 

7 Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy. 

8 Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see God. 

9 Blessed are the peacemakers : for they shall be called the chil- 
dren of God. 

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake : 
for their's is the kingdom of heaven. 

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, 
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad : for great is your reward in 
heaven : for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 

13 Ye are the salt of the earth : but if the salt have lost his 
savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for noth- 
ing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill 
cannot be hid. 

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but 
on a candlestick : and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your 
good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

The word " blessed" is used here nine times. The Latin word 
is ' ' beatus. ' ' It means ' ' happy " or ' ' blessed. ' ' We get from it 
the word "Beatitude," the name given these nine paragraphs — 
' ' The Beatitudes. ' ' The world says no man is happy here. Jesus 
says the man blessed of God is the happy man. 1. A sense of 
unworthiness — ' ' Blessed are the poor in spirit. ' ' This begins with 
the man who yields to the convicting Spirit; sees his wretched con- 
dition as a sinner; sees that his own righteousness is as filthy 
rags; and confesses his moral bankruptcy and inefficiency in ob- 
taining his own salvation. This sense of spiritual poverty deepens 
all through life. The higher he gets in the degrees of salvation, 
the deeper becomes his self abasement. 

The language of his soul is "Every moment Lord, I need the 
virtue of thy blood. ' ' The greatest saints have been those who 
most felt their unworthiness. There is a great contrast between 
such and the church at Laodicea (Rev. 3:17-18). "Theirs is the 
kingdom of heaven. ' ' Such people have the ' ' kingdom of heaven ' ' 
now within them for when we are the glad subjects of Christ 
we have his kingdom in us — a kingdom of "righteousness, peace 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 49 

and joy in the Holy Ghost." 2. They have a godly sorrow for 
sin. They mourn over it. ' ' Blessed are they that mourn. ' ' Their 
life-long regret is that they ever sinned against a holy God. This 
regret is so genuine that when they see themselves sinners, they 
turn from sin. They hate it and no longer practice it. They have 
got through with the sin-business. Jesus says such mourning is 
' ' blessed. ' ' This is one of the paradoxes of the Bible — blessed 
mourning. Such people receive the divine comfort — peace to their 
wounded consciences. They are free from condemnation. 
3. They are meek. " Blessed are the meek." Such people are 
patient under insults, persecution and harsh treatment. They do 
not return evil for evil. This is the mark of a high state of 
grace. Jesus says they are "blessed," because they shall "in- 
herit the earth. ' ' They are God 's heirs. It must be in the future 
for they do not inherit the earth now. This too is one of the 
passages that seem to teach that this earth, after it is purified, 
is to be the abode of the saints, according to 2 Peter 3:13. At any 
rate it is a great compensation granted to those who patiently sub- 
mit to injustice in this world. God will see that everybody 
gets justice. 4. "Blessed are they whieh do hunger and thirst 
after righteousness." They have a blessed hunger and thirst 
because it is for a blessed experience — righteousness. This hunger 
and thirst marks the distinction between them and unsaved peo- 
ple. Unsaved men are dead in trespasses and sins. These have 
an appetite. They are alive. Dead people have no appetite. 
Eighteousness means freedom from sin. (See Daniel 4:27; Eom. 
6:18; 1 Cor. 15:34.) Every regenerate man hungers and thirsts 
for a heart free from sin. Jesus says such hunger is blessed. The 
sinner does not have it. This is the first blessing. There is a 
rapid growth in grace, says Wesley, even when we are seeking the 
blessing. "They shall be filled." That is another blessing — "the 
second blessiDg properly so called," for one plus one equals two. 
Here we have the two works of grace — regeneration and entire 
sanctification. 5. They are merciful. "Blessed are the merci- 
ful." Like Dorcas (Acts 9:36-41) they are a blessing to every- 
body. They are like their Heavenly Father, as kind to every one as 
they possibly can be without detracting from the demands of 
justice. The result is, that mercy they show to others, God extends 



50 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

to them. They can say that part of the Lord's prayer sincerely, 
''Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." They sow 
mercy and reap mercy. ''Whatsoever a man soweth that shall 
be also reap." They are twice blessed — in having a heart of 
mercy and in receiving mercy from God. 6. "Blessed are the 
pure in heart. ' ' They are pure in heart. ' ' Here is a trait of 
character which God's Spirit alone can produce. This is sanc- 
tification" (Whedon). Jesus did not say blessed are the pure in 
wisdom or knowledge, or judgment, but in heart. By the term 
heart is signified the will and affections. Purity is a simple state, 
it admits of no compounds. A pure heart is a heart with nothing 
therein contrary to the love of God. It is wholly sanctified. 
Some people maintain that it is impossible to be pure in heart 
in this sinful world. But Jesus here maintains its possibility. 
These beatitudes are characteristics of people in this world. Cer- 
tainly, there is no mourning in heaven (vs. 3), the peacemakers 
(vs. 9) are not engaged in patching up quarrels in heaven; nor 
are those who are in heaven, ' ' persecuted for righteousness sake ' ' 
(vs. 10). These beatitudes represent experiences of this life. In 
the midst of these beatitudes which refer unmistakably to this life, 
Jesus says, "Blessed are the pure in heart." If purity of heart 
were a state of heart obtained only in heaven, he would have said, 
' ' Blessed will be the pure in heart. ' ' 

They are blessed for they see God, in this world as well as in 
the world to come. Only the pure in heart can see him, for 
sin like cataracts hinders the spiritual vision. Purity clears the 
spiritual eyesight. Notice how much is said about purity of heart 
as a condition of spiritual vision (See Matt. 7:3-5; Heb. 12:14; 
1 John 3:2-3). The pure in heart do not wait until the future 
life to see God. They see him in nature, in his providences, in 
history and in his saints. God is a spirit. He is spiritually dis- 
cerned. We do not obtain a pure heart at conversion (See 1 Cor. 
3:1-4). The Corinthians were brethren but were "yet carnal." 
The second blessing — entire sanctification — purifies the heart from 
all sin. 7. Holy people are peace makers. ' ' Blessed are the 
peace makers. ' ' They not only follow the injunction of the 
Apostle ' ' As much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men, ' ' 
but they seek to promote peace among men. They are opposed to 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 51 

war. They are the brethren of the holy Jesus, who made peace 
between God and man. Like him they seek to get men saved, 
for being justified by faith, peace comes to man. Such souls are 
"called the children of God," for it is one of the traits of char- 
acter that is Godlike, to promote peace. 

8. Holy people are l ' persecuted for righteousness ' sake. ' ' Al- 
though we may have a desire to "follow peace with all men," 
yet all men will not allow it. Like Jesus, holy people are a 
target for the devil and wicked men. No matter how gentle our 
character may be, the devil will not let us alone. "All that will 
live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. " It is a mistake 
to condemn holiness because "it makes trouble." It makes no 
more trouble than did Enoch, Daniel, John the Baptist and Jesus. 
The trouble is caused because the carnal mind hates holiness. 
Holiness is no more to blame for the trouble it causes than a 
lamb is for the attacks of wolves, even if the wolves are "in 
sheep 's clothing. ' ' We can not expect a holy character free from 
persecution. Do we expect to be better than Jesus, St. Stephen 
and Paul? When holy people are persecuted, they should remember 
that it is for righteousness ' sake, and be glad that they are counted 
worthy to be partakers of the sufferings of Jesus. That is the 
way the disciples felt. Why should not we? 

' ' This cannot fail ; it is the very badge of our discipleship ; it 
is one of the seals of our calling; it is a sure portion entailed on 
all the children of God : if we have it not, we are bastards and not 
sons. Straight through evil report, as well as good report lies the 
only way to the kingdom. The meek, serious, humble, zealous 
lovers of God and man, are of good report among their brethren; 
but of evil report with the world, who count and treat them 'as 
the filth and offscouring of all things.' " (Wesley.) 

Their reward is with the poor in spirit (vs. 3) — "the king- 
dom of heaven." It will compensate for all we suffer. But let 
us be sure our persecution is not for our own faults, but "for 
righteousness ' sake. ' ' 

9. Eeviling and slander are the portion of the holy. They 
could bring no just accusation against Christ, Stephen and Paul 
so they brought false accusation. It is ever so with holiness and 
its professors. Men make all manner of false accusation. They are 



52 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

called "fanatics," "cranks," "troublers in Israel," accused of 
all sorts of false teaching, viz.: "they say they can not sin," 
or "they can not be tempted," "are absolutely perfect," "can 
make no mistakes." Satan is determined that men shall not see 
the beauty of holiness, so he sends around disfigured photographs 
to misrepresent her beauty. When these false charges are made 
for Jesus' sake, we are commanded to rejoice and be exceeding 
glad, for "great is your reward in heaven." It shows you are 
in the royal line of the prophets and heroes mentioned in Heb. 
11 "of whom the world was not worthy. ' ' It locates us when we 
are persecuted. If the world spoke well of us, it would be be- 
cause we were of its number and not like Jesus. "Because ye are 
not of the world . . . therefore the world hateth you" said 
Jesus. If you have found a way of promoting holiness without 
opposition, it is the wrong kind of holiness that you are promoting. 
In the parallel account (Luke 6:23) we are told to "leap for joy." 
When we hear people whining about their persecutions, we know 
they do not have the joy. God has not blessed them as a com- 
pensation for their persecution. They have been persecuted for 
their own sake and not for Jesus' sake. There is such an ex- 
perience as being so blessed in time of persecution as to be almost 
sorry when the pressure of persecution is taken off, lest the 
peculiar blessing might go with it. 

10. "Salt of the earth." As bad as this world is, it would be 
far worse but for the few saints that God has in it. It would have 
been annihilated by its own sin but for the day of Pentecost. 
God spares it because his saints have kept it from absolute putre- 
faction. The world will never know how much it is indebted to 
the holiness movement. "Except the Lord of hosts had left unto 
us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom and we 
should have been like unto Gomorrah" (Isa. 1:9). Salt is of no 
use unless it comes in close contact with the substance to be kept 
by it. A pile of salt in a neighbor's house can not keep the 
meat-barrel sweet in our dwelling. He did not say, "Ye are the 
salt of heaven" but "of the earth." How are they mistaken 
who think they are to live holiness separate from the world — in a 
cloister or monastery, or that holiness is only for heaven. It is to 
be used in this world for the purification of society. It is appar- 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 53 

entry more needed here than in heaven. "If the salt have lost its 
savor . . . cast out . . . trodden under foot." On the 
other hand there is nothing that has the contempt of the world 
more than an unholy church. Men's idea of religion is holiness. 
They expect it of the church, for the world knows our Bible de- 
mands a holy life. It is better to have the opposition of the world 
because of holiness than their contempt for the lack of it. An 
unholy church has neither the approval of God nor of man. 

11. Light. Holiness is light. It is attractive in a dark world. 
It can not be hid. It drives away sin which is moral darkness. 
Jesus said, "lam the light of the world" and "Ye are the light 
of the world." Holy people are his representatives. Like the 
planets they have no light in themselves but borrow it from him — 
"the Sun of righteousness." They reflect their holiness which is 
derived from Him. Wherever there is a bright spot on earth 
it is because holy men have lived and died there. He did not 
say "Ye are the light of heaven." God wants holiness in the 
world to light up its darkness — not in the retirement of the 
nunnery, or monastery. He does not want us to light up heaven. 
He will do that himself. He wants us to light up this world, 
just as he lights up the heavenly world. So we must have holiness 
here before we get to heaven if we are to be lights in the world. 
So we are to "Let our light so shine;" not try to make it shine. 
It will shine without our effort if we have it. We are to "Let it 
so shine that men may see our good works and glorify our Father 
which is in heaven. ' ' This is the first time the great truth of the 
Fatherhood of God is stated in Scripture. A Christian not wholly 
sanctified can not give that degree of light that fully glorifies 
God. A heart with sinful tendencies hinders his shining. In- 
bred sin glorifies Satan, who is the author of sin. 

HOLINESS INSPIEES FEAR IN ECCLESIASTICS LEST THE 
OLD OEDEE BE BEOKEN UP. Vs. 17-18. 

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the proph- 
ets ; I am not come to destroy, hut to fulfil. 

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one 
jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all he ful- 
filled. 



54 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

Jesus foresaw that his revolutionary principles might alarm 
ecclesiastics as well as timid disciples, so He says, ' ' Think not 
that I am come to destroy the law and the prophets. ' ' Every new 
dispensation and every spiritual revival have been a source of 
alarm to unspiritual churchmen. They are more anxious about 
the religious machines than the kingdom of God. These disciples 
would have to meet the cry, "You will break up the church," 
"You will make a division," "You are going to do away with 
the law and the prophets" — the old dispensation. The spiritually 
dead of the church have always opposed spiritual religion. Jesus 
came not to destroy but to fulfill the law and the prophets. His 
religion was holiness of heart instead of their religion of mere 
forms. The holiness movement, the great active religious move- 
ment of this age, did not come to break up the church, but to 
save it; not to do away with the experience of conversion, but to 
establish it. It is the establishing grace. The devil has ever 
started the cry of ' ' division ' ' to frighten the church from its 
glorious birthright. Holiness is perfect love and love is not the 
breaking up of anything that is good for "love is the fulfilling 
of the law." No man can long live a justified life without be- 
coming entirely sanctified. "One jot or tittle." The jot or yod 
was the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The tittle was 
the point on a Hebrew letter by which similar letters were distin- 
guished. Jesus came to fulfill every least bit of the righteousness 
and holiness taught by precept and symbol in the Old Testament. 
Eationalists and higher critics have always begun their attacks on 
the Old Testament. But Jesus here endorses it. The law is ful- 
filled just as far as we are regenerated and entirely sanctified. 
"Just in the proportion in which, by the baptism of the Spirit 
and the regeneration and sanctification of the character, the law 
is fulfilled, it ceases to bind, but no further" (Abbott). Paul says 
we are set free from the law of sin and death through Jesus' 
death "that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us 
who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit." We never 
can fulfill the outward law perfectly and so God allows us to fill 
out this lack with perfect love, which fills up our lack of perfect 
service. 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 55 

HOLINESS IS INSIDE KIGHTEOUSNESS. Vs. 19-20. 

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least command- 
ments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the 
kingdom of heaven ; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the 
same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall ex- 
ceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no 
case enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

"Whosoever shall break the least of these commandments," 
that is, one of the least of the commands of the Law and the 
Prophets. This does not refer to the ceremonial law which was 
for the Jews only, but to the ten commandments, which are for 
all people and for all time. ' ' Shall be called the least in the king- 
dom of God. ' ' The word break here, is literally to relax. From 
a comparison with the folowing verse, it seems to refer to those 
teachers who let down the standard and teach men that they can 
be accepted of God and still be breaking his commandments. We 
can see how a teacher or preacher through a defective theological 
training may ignorantly teach men that they must continue to sin. 
But such a teacher can never become an eminent saint. He will 
be among that class of the kingdom of heaven whose works are 
burned but they are "saved as by fire" (1 Cor. 3:15). 

But how about that class of religious teachers and preachers 
who go further than this and declare they break all the com- 
mandments in thought, word and deed? Adam Clarke says, "Do 
not those who scruple not to insinuate that the proper observation 
of these laws is impossible in this life, and that every man since 
the fall does daily break them in thought, word and deed, bear 
false witness against God and his truth? and do they not greatly 
err, not knowing the Scripture, which teaches the necessity of such 
obedience, nor the power of God, by which the evil principle of 
the heart is destroyed, and the law of purity written on the soul? 
If even the regenerate man, as some have unwarily asserted does 
daily break these commands, these ten words, in thought, word, 
and deed, he may be as bad as Satan for aught we know; for 
Satan himself cannot transgress in more forms than these, for 
sin can be committed in no other way, either by bodied or dis- 
embodied spirits, than by thought, word or deed. Such sayings 



56 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

as these tend to destroy the distinction between good and evil; 
and leave the infidel and the believer on a par as to their moral 
state. The people of God should be careful how they use them. ' ' 
On the other hand those who keep the commandments and teach 
this standard of righteousness and holiness will become eminent 
in spiritual things. "Except your righteousness shall exceed the 
righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. ' ' The righteousness of 
the Scribes and Pharisees was an outside righteousness — outward 
forms and ceremonies. It consisted in going to church, making 
prayers, fasting, giving a tenth of their income to support the 
cause of God, but it failed because it was merely external. (Many 
people do not do as much as this who think they are Christians. 
If this did not save the Scribes and Pharisees, how about the peo- 
ple who do not do as much as they?) God requires not only out- 
ward but inward religion — holiness or righteousness of heart. 
There is no substitute for it. So we see that Jesus was a preacher 
of holiness to the churchmen of his day. 

THE HIDDEN MAN OF THE HEAET MUST BE HOLY. 

Vs. 21-28. 

21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou 
shalt not kill ; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the 
judgment : 

22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother 
without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment : and whosoever 
shall say to his brother, Raca, shall (be in danger of the council : 
but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 

23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there re- 
memberest that thy brother hath ought against thee ; 

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way ; first 
be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 

25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the 
way with him ; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the 
judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast 
into prison. 

26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out 
thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. 

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou 
shalt not commit adultery : 

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman 
to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his 
heart. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 57 

Under the Old Testament economy God required a ceremonial 
holiness or sanetification, which consisted in divers washings and 
sacrifices. A few leaders of that dispensation enjoyed the full- 
ness of sanctifying grace. But of the multitude in that dark age, 
God only required ceremonial purity, but now he commands heart 
holiness of all. This is what the apostle means, when he says, 
' ' For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer, 
sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; 
how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal 
Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience 
from dead works to serve the living God?" 

Under this dispensation God requires that our souls shall be as 
clean as he required their bodies to be ceremonially in the Old 
Dispensation. The rest of this chapter is the explanation of verses 
17 and 20. It shows how Jesus came "to fulfill the law" and in 
what respect we must ' ' exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and 
Pharisees." Divine love perfected in our hearts fulfills "the 
law and the prophets. ' ' Our righteousness must exceed that of the 
Scribes and Pharisees by being the internal righteousness of per- 
fect love. Therefore he closes this section (Vs. 20-48) by say- 
ing, "Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in 
heaven is perfect." Perfect love to God leads to perfect love 
towards man. Therefore he now shows how it applies, as follows: 

Verses 21-26 elucidate the law against murder. "Whosoever 
is angry with his brother ; ' ' that is, his brother man. ' ' Without 
a cause." These words are not found in the best Greek manu- 
scripts. They are not in the Eevised Version. Some copyist prob- 
ably inserted them in some of the manuscripts. They thought 
they would fix up the Scripture a little, and help the Lord out, 
as they supposed it impossible to be kept from anger. There 
has been a good deal of this kind of business going on — inter- 
preting the Bible in the interests of sin or to apologize for sin. 
Notice three sins are mentioned here: 1. Anger against our 
brother. This is murder of the heart. 2. Calling him Raca. The 
word means ' ' empty. ' ' Of course, this means more than pro- 
nouncing the word. It means a sovereign contempt for him whom 
we are commanded to love. 3. Calling him ' ' a fool. ' ' This is 
more than the pronunciation of the word ' ' fool. ' ' It means harsh 



58 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

and uncharitable judgment against his spiritual character, a sort 
of a decree in our own minds, consigning him to perdition. Men 
in their anger and blasphemy sometimes tell their fellows to ' l go 
to hell. ' ' Such imprecations decree those themselves who utter 
them to the same place. 

Notice here three degrees of punishment suited to these three 
different sins: Punishment in the future life according to this, 
will be in proportion to the greatness of our sins. The man who 
is angry is consigned to the ' ' Judgment. ' ' The man who looks 
on his brother with contempt even when the burst of anger is 
over, is in danger of the ' ' council. ' ' The man who consigns his 
brother to Hell is in danger of "the Hell of fire" (Kevised 
Version). "The Judgment" was the court in the city of Kefuge, 
to which the manslayer ran, who tried him for murder, and if 
guilty beheaded him with the sword. ' ' The council ' ' was the 
Jewish Sanhedrim, which punished the guilty by stoning to 
death. The "Hell of fire" or "Gehenna of fire" in the original 
Greek, was the valley of Hinnom, southeast of Jerusalem, where 
corpses of criminals, and offal were burned. The fires, like those 
of Hell, were always burning. Jesus uses these three earthly 
terms as symbols of the degrees of eternal punishment in the 
world to come. 

"The amount of the entire verse, then, is this: Not merely 
bodily killing but the mental impulse and purpose which are the 
root of all murder — whether it be mental murder of the body, or 
the intellectual reputation or the moral honor — are to be pun- 
ished according to their aggravations in the High court of heaven. 
Our Lord here conceptually frames the code of divine retribution 
above, as parallel to the codes of earthly criminal law." (Whedon.) 
The last named commentator makes here three offenses: Desire 
to kill our brother physically, intellectually and spiritually. Since 
it is true that anger against our brother is murder, we need a 
holy heart to Jceep us from being murderers in heart. Only a 
holy heart, in which perfect love dwells, can keep us from murder 
in the heart, which, while it is not as bad as actual murder, is 
bad enough to consign us to Hell. 

The hidden man of the heart must be clean. He shows that 
the inner man must be as clean from adultery as the outward man. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 59 

It does not mean that thoughts concerning this sin may not pass 
through our minds, but the will in a pure hearted man spurns 
them as loathsome to him. The sin consists in the indulgence and 
nursing of an evil imagination. A man may be as really an adul- 
terer in the sight of God as if he had committed the act. This 
does not mean that restrained lust is as bad as the outward act. 
"If nothing but opportunity were wanting to the guilty act, the 
adultery of the heart is fully committed. God, who sees the heart, 
holds the hidden man guilty." (Whedon.) 

HOLINESS IS SEPARATION FROM ALL SIN. Vs. 29-32. 

29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it 
from thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should 
perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 

30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it 
from thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members 
should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 

31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him 
give her a writing of divorcement : 

32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, 
saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery : 
and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. 

The ' ' eye ' ' and ' ' hand ' ' here are of course figurative ex- 
pressions. It does not mean that if we had our literal eye taken 
out, or the literal hand taken off, we would be saved from the 
sin of adultery mentioned in the previous verse. A one-eyed, or 
one-handed man could be an adulterer still, but it means that evil 
principle that prompts or inclines to that sin is to be removed. That 
evil principle is depravity, the root of all sinful desires and acts 
which must be removed — not suppressed as some teach. The Bible 
never teaches suppression or uses the term and never teaches that 
doctrine. He does not say, ' ' If thine eye offend thee put on a shade 
or pair of colored glasses, or if thy hand offend thee put on poul- 
tices or liniments ; ' ' but ' ' pluck it out, " " cut it off. ' ' He does 
not mean sexuality is to be destroyed but the sinful nature which 
degrades this pure God-given instinct is to be destroyed. The 
Bible always demands heroic treatment of sin, never palliation. 
To command men to be clean in their desires and innocent of 
heart adultery with a depraved nature in them is demanding bricks 



60 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

without straw; expecting them to do large business with little 
capital. So God proposes to entirely sanctify the heart — that is, 
remove the carnal mind — and enable them to live with pure sex- 
ual instincts. He goes on to say that divorce and re-marriage, ex- 
cept for fornication, are only an attempt to dodge this command 
to be pure in the inner life. (Vs. 31-32.) 

THE HIDDEN MAN SEEN IN OUR TALK. Vs. 33-37. 

33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old 
time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the 
Lord thine oaths : 

34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all ; neither by heaven ; 
for it is God's throne : 

35 Nor by the earth ; for it. is his footstool ; neither by Jerusa- 
lem ; for it is the city of the great King. 

36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not 
make one hair white or black. 

37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea ; Nay, nay : for what- 
soever is more than these cometh of evil. 

Having struck at the two most deadly sins against society — 
murder and adultery, this most radical Reformer, now strikes at 
the sin of profane, empty, idle talk. Some people dislike some 
of the rugged portions of the Bible and say, ' ' Our religion is 
The Sermon on the Mount. ' ' If they studied carefully they would 
find it one of the most rugged portions of the Bible and more 
radical and uncompromising than anything found in any other 
religion in the whole world. St. James says, "He that offendeth 
not in word, the same is a perfect man." There is great need in 
the world of a holiness that will make men talk right, as well as 
live right. 

In Eastern countries men are exceedingly profane. The Jew- 
ish rabbinical books excused a great deal of the swearing, saying, 
"If any one swear by the heavens, by the earth, or by the sun, 
it is not an oath. ' ' Thompson, the oriental traveller tells us, ' ' The 
people in the East to-day use the very same sort of oaths that 
are mentioned and condemned by our Lord. They swear by their 
head, by their life, by heaven, and by the temple, or what is in 
its place, the church. The forms of cursing and swearing, how- 
ever, are almost infinite, and fall on the pained ear all day long. ' ' 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 61 

The holy man is simple and unaffected in his speech. How much 
sin is committed in speech that is not straightforward, ' ' Yea, yea 
and Nay, nay." Great talkers are usually great sinners in their 
talk. There is a good deal of thinly covered swearing, by people, 
who do not dare utter the more fearful oaths, that to all intents 
and purposes have a form of swearing, the spirit of which is pro- 
fanity. ' ' Christ here condemns all those ' half veiled blasphemies ' 
which, common in our times, are nearly all traceable historically 
to an appeal, more or less direct, to the name of God. They are 
either like I swan, I vow ; or like gosh, gol, golly, corruptions of 
the name of God; or like gracious, goodness, mercy, glory, ap- 
peals to God by some of his prominent attributes; or like 'mercy 
on me,' or 'laws a massey,' an abbreviation of the solemn oath, 
' If this be not true, may the Lord have mercy on me;' or like 
'dam it,' 'dang it,' ' darnation,' palpable abbreviations of damn 
and damnation, the most solemn possible of all forms of impre- 
cation, generally on an enemy, real or imaginary, living or inani- 
mate, a travesty on the Christian appeal to the God of Justice 
to do Justice to wrongdoers (Eom. 12:19); or like 'the deuce,' 
'the dickens,' 'the old nick,' all terms of the devil, and abbrevia- 
tions of 'to the devil,' or 'the devil take it,' a less solemn form 
of the same imprecation; or like 'confound it,' 'plague take it,' 
etc., an unconscious prayer to God to bring real or supposed ene- 
mies to confusion and failure; or 'upon my soul,' 'by my life,' 
a pledging of one's life, or one's eternal destiny, in support of 
this assertion, in which case there is an implied call on God to 
execute the penalty. Thus nearly all the expletives used in com- 
mon and even fashionable life to strengthen or confirm our asser- 
tions are degenerate oaths, a direct violation of the Third Com- 
mandment as Christ interprets it. And it is no answer to say, 
that those who use such phrases do not intend blasphemy by them ; 
frequently those who use more directly the name of God in vain, 
mean nothing by their imprecations. The meaningless use of 
such language is itself a violation of the simplicity of Christian 
discourse, even when it does not indicate a bitter, angry or irrev- 
erent mood." (Abbott.) A holy man is marked by the sim- 
plicity and directness of his conversation as well as by its unc- 
tion. It is very significant where Paul having commanded the 



62 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

church of Ephesus to ' ' be filled with the Spirit, ' ' adds ' ' speaking 
to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs." 

HOLINESS IS PEEFECT LOVE TOWARDS GOD AND MAN. 

Vs. 38-48. 

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and 
a tooth for a tooth : 

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil ; but whosoever 
shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy 
coat, let him have thy cloke also. 

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him 
twain. 

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would 
borrow of thee turn not thou away. 

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy 
neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse 
you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despite- 
fully use you, and persecute you ; 

45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in 
heaven ; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, 
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 

46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? 
do not even the publicans the same? 

47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than 
others? do not even the publicans so? 

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in 
heaven is perfect. 

Perfect love is the summation of all this section as indicated 
in Vs. 48. "Be ye therefore perfect." It fulfills the law. It 
enables us to keep it. Having taken up the grosser sins of mur- 
der, adultery and profanity, he now takes up that which is very 
trying to us all — the unjust treatment which we must all receive 
from other people, more or less, all through life. There is nothing 
more trying to the Christian graces. Thousands of Christians, 
who would not commit the three gross sins just mentioned break 
down here. The "old man" in us likes to retaliate, to "give 
them as good as they send. ' ' Jesus proposes a salvation that 
will take that out of us. It is holiness. If all had it, wars and 
strife would cease. Peifect love does "not resist evil," in the 
sense of retaliating. We will oppose sin, and insist that Justice 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 63 

be enforced, but there will be no spirit of retaliation or malice. 
The Bevised Version renders it, "Eesist not him that is evil. " 
God's people in every age have won their greatest victories by- 
letting the other folks do the fighting. D 'Aubigne in his history 
of the Eeformation says the reason the Eeformation succeeded in 
Germany was because Luther refused all help from the military 
leaders, and the reason it failed it France was because its leaders 
took up arms. "They that take the sword shall perish with the 
sword. ' ' 

In verse 40 he warns us against going to law. Worldly pru- 
dence ought to make us avoid law suits, which are useful in fat- 
tening the lawyers. Brougham said, "A lawyer is a learned gen- 
tleman who rescues your estate from your enemies, and keeps it 
himself. ' ' 

"Whosover shall compel thee to go." The Eoman govern- 
ment was accustomed to send dispatches by heralds. These her- 
alds were authorized to compel any person they met to go with 
them as guides or assistants. This is the law of Persia to-day. 
By going with him twice as far, it might shame him for being so 
arbitrary. We are to "give to him that aslceth." Of course this 
command must be in harmony with common sense. (God gave 
us the latter for use.) He does not require us to give if we have 
nothing; nor does he require us to give to the undeserving or the 
fraudulent beggar. The Lord has conditions upon which Chris- 
tian benevolence is founded. He says, "Ye ask and receive not 
because ye ask amiss. ' ' He is speaking of the spirit that should 
animate us — a spirit of benevolence to all. 

"Love your enemies." It was doubtless a heathen maxim, 
1 ' Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. ' ' This is 
a maxim of the unsaved world. The "old man" is cruel and 
revengeful. There is not a maxim in all the writings of the 
ancient philosophers recommending ' ' love to enemies. ' ' It takes 
divine love to do this. Divine love is an exotic. It was trans- 
planted from heaven. It does not grow naturally in this world. 
St. Chrysostom says on these verses, "Seest thou how many steps 
he has ascended, and how He hath set us upon the summit of vir- 
tue? Nay, mark it, numbering from the beginning. A first step is 
not to begin with injustice; a second after he hath begun not to 



64 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

vindicate one's self by equal retaliation; a third, not to do unto 
him that is vexing us the same that one hath suffered, but to be 
quiet; a fourth, even to give one's self up to suffer wrongfully; 
a fifth, to give up yet more than the other wishes, who did the 
wrong; a sixth, not to hate him who hath so done; a seventh, 
even to love him; an eighth, to do him good also; a ninth, to 
entreat God himself on his behalf. ' ' To render evil for evil is 
doglike. Some one says to render good for evil is Godlike. The 
highest degree of sainthood is to pray for our enemies from the 
heart. This is the climax of religion. It is a proof of Christian 
Perfection. ' ' Be perfect by having a heart purified from all hate. 
If thy vessel be filled with love, God can be no more than full." 
(Whedon.) Adam Clarke says on verse 48, "Can we be fully 
saved from sin in this world? is an important question, to which 
this text gives a satisfactory answer, 'Ye shall be perfect as your 
Father who is in heaven is perfect'. — As in his infinite nature 
there is no sin, nothing but goodness and love; so in your finite 
nature there shall dwell no sin, for the law of the spirit of life 
in Christ Jesus shall make you free from the law of sin and death, 
Eom. 8:2. God shall live in, fill, and rule in your hearts; and 
in what He fills and influences neither Satan nor sin can have any 
part. If men slighting their own mercies cry out, This is impos- 
sible, whom does this arguing reprove? God, who on this ground, 
has given a command, the fulfillment of which is impossible. 'But 
who can bring a clean out of an unclean thing?' God Almighty — 
and however inveterate the disease of sin may be, the grace of 
the Lord Jesus can fully cure it; and who will say, that he who 
laid down his life for our souls will not use his power completely 
to effect that salvation, which he has died to procure. 'But where 
is the person thus saved?' Wherever he is found who loves God 
with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength; and his neighbor as 
himself." 



CHAPTER VI. 
A HOLINESS SERMON (Continued). 

Carnality in Religion. Vs. 1-18. Consecration of Money. Vs. 19-24. 
Holy People Trust God in Temporal Matters, Vs. 25-34. 

CAENALITY IN EELIGION. Vs. 1-18. 

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen 
of them : otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in 
heaven. 

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet 
before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the 
streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, 
They have their reward. 

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what 
thy right hand doeth : 

4 That thine alms may be in secret : and thy Father which 
seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites 
are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the 
corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say 
unto you, They have their reward. 

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when 
thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret ; and 
thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen 
do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them : for your Father knoweth 
what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 

9 After this manner therefore pray ye : Our Father which art 
in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in 
heaven. 

11 Give us this day our daily bread. 

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil : 
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. 
Amen. 

65 



66 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father 
will also forgive you : 

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your 
Father forgive your trespasses. 

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad 
countenance : for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear 
unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash 
thy face : 

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, hut unto thy Father 
which is in secret : and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall re- 
ward thee openly. 

This is a part of the Sermon on the Mount begun in the pre- 
vious chapter. The carnal mind is so subtle that it even per- 
vades the religious exercises of those who possess it, often times 
vitiating and neutralizing the religion of those not delivered from 
it. Jesus shows this in the three particulars: giving, praying and 
fasting. 

"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men to be seen 
of them." The word alms is here improperly translated. It 
should be translated righteousness. This is a part of the expla- 
nation of his statement in Chapter 5, Verse 20, "except your 
righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Phari- 
sees. " He shows how we must exceed them in the spirit of our 
giving, praying and fasting. It is one of the marks of the carnal 
mind to be ostentatious in its religion. It is done to find favor 
with men instead of God. Jesus here strikes a blow at that de- 
light of the carnal mind — ostentatious religion. 

Albert Barnes says of the ostentatious giving of the Phari- 
sees, "It is probable that such persons, when they were about 
to bestow alms caused a trumpet to be sounded, professedly to call 
the poor together to receive it, but really to call the people to at- 
tend to it." They were "hypocrites," that is, those who acted a 
part. Hypocrisy is a theatrical word. It means literally the 
actors on the stage acting that which is not real. Jesus says of 
those who seek the applause of men by ostentatious piety, "they 
have their reward." They seek the applause of men and get it. 
This is their reward. But they do not receive reward of our 
Father in heaven. There is a great deal of this popular religion, 
that seeks applause from men. It has always been thus. True 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 67 

religion has never been popular with the majority of religionists 
in every age. The carnal nature loves formal religion, if a man 
is determined to have any. The way of self-crucifixion has never 
been popular. The ' ' old man ' ' is great on religious perform- 
ances. He feeds on self-glorification. It is one of the most subtle 
forms of temptation, to worship to please man more than God. A 
man must be really dead to sin, wholly sanctified, not to be en- 
trapped by it. And we do not doubt but many who have been 
sanctified have lost their experience by this most subtle tempta- 
tion. Eeal sanctification sets one free at this point. If we seek 
anything that man can give us, such as riches, honor, applause, 
etc., man can take it from us. If we seek what only God can 
give, man can not take it away. He does not forbid public giving, 
but public giving for display. He approved the poor widow who 
gave in public. (Mark 12:44.) It may be right to give in public, 
if our motive is to set an example or call men's attention to the 
merits of the cause for which we give, but never as a means of 
advertising self or our liberality. And the temptation is so subtle 
that public giving needs guarding. It depends on motives. Our 
motives make our actions good or bad. "We are to be seen to 
do good, but not to do good to be seen." (Wordsworth.) 

Ostentation in prayer. Our Lord here cautions against two 
abuses of prayer: by the hypocrite, who loved "to pray standing 
in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets." (Vs. 5), and 
by the heathen, who use "vain repetitions" in their praying (Vs. 
7). Both abuses were against the simplicity of prayer. The doc- 
trine of prayer is a much misunderstood subject. 

Prayer is the desire of the heart. Or as the poet expresses it : 

' ' Prayer is the soul 's sincere desire 
Uttered or unexpressed." 

How absurd the phrase, ' ' making a prayer ! ' ' How blas- 
phemous the idea of seeking to offer "an eloquent prayer." 
When men pray to be heard of men, it is the old sin of the Phari- 
sees, which Jesus here rebuked. When men think the length and 
number of repetitions of their prayers are meritorious, it is the 
old error of the heathen. When men think there is any merit in 
their prayers of themselves, it is the error of Catholicism. Cath- 



68 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

olics think the number of Pater Nosters repeated is meritorious. 
There is no merit in our prayers or even in our faith, of them- 
selves, to purchase salvation. Prayer and faith are only the chan- 
nels through which God pours his salvation upon us. 

"Not all our groans and tears, 
Nor works which we have done, 
Nor vows, nor promises, nor prayers, 
Can e'er for sin atone. " 

He does not condemn public prayer or the attitude of stand- 
ing, but prayer for ostentation. Our closet of prayer is any where 
in which we can retire from the world. It may be in the busy 
street, when we retire in our thought and reflection from all that 
is going on about us. "Every man can build a chapel in his 
heart" (Jeremy Taylor). Yet it is a good idea to have a secret 
place where we may talk with an audible voice to God. Some 
times it is our duty to pray before men — not for self-glorifica- 
tion however, but to honor God. It is possible, too, to be ostenta- 
tious in our secret prayer. The ' ' old man ' ' who is back of all this 
desire to glorify self is very subtle and crafty. For an illustra- 
tion of the two kinds of praying see the description of the pray- 
ers of the Pharisee and publican in Luke 18:10. "There may 
be cases even where it is a duty to pray publicly to be seen of 
men, if it be not for self -exaltation. In Daniel's case retirement 
would have been cowardice (Dan. 6:10). On the other hand, 
there is no virtue in a closet. 'Isaac's closet was a field (Gen. 
24:63); David's closet was his bed chamber (Psalm 4:4); our 
Lord's closet was a mountain (Matt. 14:23); Peter's closet was 
a housetop (Acts 10:9).' " (Abbott.) Let us remember the great 
truth, we are not heard for our eloquent speaking, nor our much 
speaking, but for our sincere speaking. "Your Father knoweth 
what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." Why ask Him 
then? Because He commands us to pray, and anything worth 
having is worth asking for. Prayer helps us feel our dependence, 
tends to keep us humble, brings us into communion with God, and 
is due Him. Alas, how many so-called prayers there are which 
do not ask for anything but are a series of instructions to Him 
who knows all things. "He vouchsafes blessings which are not 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 69 

given to the prayerless or even the lukewarm petitioner." Bishop 
Hall says, "It is not the arithmetic of our prayers, how many they 
are; nor the rhetoric of our prayers, how eloquent they are; nor 
the geometry of our prayers, how long they be; nor the music 
of our prayers, how sweet our voice may be; nor the logic of our 
prayers, how argumentative they may be; nor the method of our 
prayers, how orderly they be; nor even the divinity of our prayers, 
how good the doctrine may be, — which God cares for. He looks not 
for the horny knees which St. James is said to have had through 
the assiduity of prayer: we might be like St. Bartholomew, who is 
said to have had a hundred prayers in the morning, and as many 
for the evening, and all might be of no avail. Fervency of spirit 
is that which availeth much." We might add here, though not 
exactly in the connection, that the habit of praying at people 
is a form of blasphemy, trifling with God, in what ought to be a 
solemn act. 

A prayer for holiness. It has been frequently remarked that 
this ought not to be called The Lord's Prayer, but The Disciples' 
Prayer. It was given for the use of disciples. He prayed for 
Himself in John, 17th chapter, which should, strictly speaking, 
be called "The Lord's Prayer." There is no place in Scripture 
where it is indicated that this, as a form of prayer, was used by 
Christ or his disciples. It first appears in the ritual of the church 
in the third century. It is used as an illustration of the doc- 
trine that our prayers are not to be vain repetitions. And yet it 
is possible to use this even as a mere form. ' ' Christ here offers this 
prayer in illustration and enforcement of the doctrine that our 
prayers are not to be vain repetitions; and the doctrine that he 
substituted one form for another, and made its use obligatory on 
his followers, violates the spirit of his teaching here and elsewhere, 
which is, not indeed against all religious forms, but strongly against 
all formalism in religion. (Compare John 4:23, 24.) In this light 
there is nothing opposed to the practice of employing the Lord's 
prayer in formal service either in the family, the Sabbath School, 
or church, provided it is not imposed on the worshipper as a law, 
but is simply employed as a vehicle for the expression of his real 
desires." (Abbott). "Our Father," not my Father, which would 
be assuming that He was not the father of others. He has other 



fO COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

children. There is no bigotry or selfishness in Christianity. It 
rebukes those people who assume to be the special favorites of 
heaven. This does not teach that God is the father of all man- 
kind, as Universalism teaches, but of his children, begotten by 
the new birth. Christ gave this prayer to disciples; not to the 
unsaved world, which has no spiritual life but is dead in tres- 
passes and sins. To be sure there is a sense in which God is 
father, since He created all mankind, but the Scripture does not 
use the term in this sense. "As many as received him, to them 
gave he the power to become the sons of God, even unto as many 
as believed on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of 
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." See 
also the distinction still farther in John 8 : 44 ; Eph. 2 : 1 and 1 John 
3:1. This prayer strikes "Against Atheism, which teaches that 
there is no God; against Pantheism, which teaches that God is 
not a person, but identical with nature; against Epicurism, which 
teaches that God cares for none of his creatures; against Polythe- 
ism, which teaches that there are many gods. Our Savior teaches 
that our one God is a tender and gracious parent, who knows our 
wants and listens to our prayers." (Whedon). "Which art 
in heaven." While God dwells everywhere, this verse seems to 
imply that there is a center of the universe, a headquarters, where 
his majesty and glory are specially revealed, called heaven. "Hal- 
lowed he thy name." This is the whole prayer condensed. The 
rest of the prayer is but the expansion of this petition. The peti- 
tion may just as well be rendered "may thy name be made holy." 
"The whole prayer is an amplification of this." (Abbott). It 
is a fact worthy of special notice that all the great prayers of 
the Bible are for holiness. (See Psalm 51; John 17:17: Ephe- 
sians 3:14-21. This great prayer was given to teach Christians 
to pray for holiness. We are to pray that the divine name may be 
hallowed or made holy. Every Christian is a child of God. All 
children bear the name of their father. A child is an honor to a 
parent, so far as he exemplifies the ideas and principles of that 
parent. Honest children glorify honest parents. The children of 
a holy God must be holy to hallow that name which they bear. 
With sin in us we magnify Satan and dishallow the name of a 
holy God. These principles are fundamental and axiomatic. A 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 71 

sinning professor of religion dishonors the name of God. How 
many people repeat this prayer daily and yet have no interest in 
the subject of holiness and many of them even deny its possi- 
bility in this life. Our lives are either making his name holy or 
dishonoring it, by publishing to the world that he does not cleanse 
us from sin. So far as we are not saved from sin, we take from 
the lustre of the holy name we bear. He goes on to tell us what 
to pray for in order that we may be holy. 

"Thy kingdom come." This is a prayer for the regeneration 
or conversion of mankind. And, as it is of no use to pray for 
others unless we include ourselves, it also means therefore prayer 
for our own regeneration or conversion. The kingdom of Italy 
is wherever and in whatever territory the laws of Italy are obeyed. 
The kingdom of God is wherever the laws of God are obeyed. The 
sinner to be converted ceases his rebellion and becomes a loyal 
subject of God and the divine kingdom is set up in his heart. 
Eightly prayed, this petition means, first of all, "Lord convert 
me, ' ' and then, ' ' O Lord, convert the world. ' ' " The kingdom 
of heaven is within you," said Jesus. The first step or work of 
grace then is regeneration. The first step towards entire holi- 
ness. Let us see to it, that while we are praying for the salvation 
of others we have the kingdom of ' ' righteousness, peace and joy in 
the Holy Ghost" set up in our own hearts. When a man is con- 
verted the kingdom of God is set up in his heart. 

"Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Where the 
divine will is done there is his kingdom set up. The will of God 
is done by inanimate nature, the winds, tides, clouds, the rolling 
planets, etc. It is done by animate nature, the beast of the field 
and the fowls of the air, and the fish of the sea, but this is not 
what is meant. He means we are to do the will of God as the 
free, intelligences of heaven — the angels do it. Men and devils 
are the only beings that do not do the will of God. (Men are in 
strange company in this respect). But there are those who main- 
tain that it is impossible to do the will of God as the angels do. 
They say this is a wicked world and Satan is so strong and human 
nature is so weak. We answer that it is a possible experience. 
1. The angels do the will of God the best they know. They can 
not do what they do not know. In this respect we can do the will 



72 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

of God. 2. The angels do the will of God without any inward 
protest or tendencies contrary to the will of God. The great hin- 
drance to our doing the will of God is an inward tendency from 
our depraved natures. Sinfulness of heart is the great hindrance. 
When we become entirely sanctified and this is eliminated we can 
do the will of God as it is done in heaven. When a man is con- 
verted he yields his will to God. He says, "thy will be done," 
but sometimes he yields under protest because he feels that he 
must, or be damned. But when he is entirely sanctified the op- 
posing element of a sinful disposition is removed. His will is in 
harmony with the divine will. 3. He does the will of God without 
any questioning, just as the angels do. It may be said that this 
prayer is not capable of being fulfilled on this earth. Then the first 
prayer just before it is also incapable of fulfillment. They both 
stand or fall together. "Thy kingdom come" is a prayer for 
conversion and "thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" is 
a prayer for entire sanetification — "The second blessing." These 
two steps are necessary to properly hallow the divine name. 

1 c Give us this day our daily bread. ' ' The word translated bread 
here in the Greek always signifies the bread which we use for 
food and not spiritual bread for the soul. It is a prayer for our 
temporal needs. Having attended to our soul needs we have a 
right to ask God for food, and the wants of the body, and no man 
need expect God to answer prayer for his temporal wants who is 
unwilling to become a loyal subject of his kingdom. He does not 
bid us ask ahead for tomorrow but only for today. Trust him a 
day at a time. Let tomorrow take care of itself. Trust God 
when that time comes. "He who can be content with today's 
loaf, and trust the morrow wholly to God, has learned the spirit 
of this prayer as interpreted by verses 25-34 below. ' ' 

Having prayed for the conversion and sanetification of the 
world and our daily bread we are now ready to pray in such a 
way as to affect our relations with our neighbors. "Forgive us 
our debts as we forgive our debtors." We are constantly coming 
in contact with those who ill treat us. We can not avoid this 
because we are in a world where man is wicked and seems to op- 
press his fellow man more or less, or injure his reputation, prop- 
erty or life. This prayer is intended for us to so use that we shall 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 73 

not have that revengeful spirit which is prohibited in chapter 
5:38-48. It is a prayer for God to treat us just as we do our 
enemies. It is a fearful prayer to offer if we have any revengeful 
spirit towards any one on earth. Many people, who offer this 
prayer, really ask God to damn them. He who will not forgive 
others asks God not to forgive him when he prays this prayer, 
and we are commanded to pray it. If we are perplexed as to how 
we ought to feel towards others this will tell us we ought to feel 
towards others just as we desire God to feel towards us. Debts 
mean more than trespasses. Trespasses are positive acts of 
wrongdoing. Debts means all that is due. Trespasses means sins 
committed. Debts means both sins of commission and of omis- 
sion. It means all that is due to God. How silly and wicked is 
that false accusation that those who profess the Wesleyan doc- 
trine of holiness as their experience claim to have "got beyond 
praying the Lord 's prayer. ' ' The prayer includes all our aber- 
rations from the perfect law of God. Our finite minds are not 
capable of grasping all that is in the perfect law of God so as to 
know what is absolutely right and wrong, but God allows perfect 
love which he has put in our hearts to fulfill or fill out our lack of 
knowledge and so love fulfills the law. If we had a dear friend 
against whom we had unwittingly done something to grieve him, 
when we found it out we could most surely say, "forgive me, I 
did not intend to harm or hurt you or trespass on your rights. ' ' 
And so every day we need to say, "Lord forgive everything that 
thy pure eye has seen amiss that I did not see." 

"Lead us not into temptation." The word temptation means 
more strictly trial. It is a petition for God not to bring us into 
trial lest it be too much for us. Of course this, like all prayer, 
must be with a submission to the will of God. We are not to be 
like Peter so self-confident that we do not care whether the trial 
comes or not. But if God permits the trial to come we are to 
boldly face it and not be cowards. ' ' Deliver us from evil. ' ' The 
Eevised Version translates this, "the evil one" with the word 
one in italics showing that it is supplied by the translators. We 
believe that it includes all evils as well as the Evil One. It means 
sin as well as temporal evil and the devil. Deliver us from all 
sin is included in it. Notice the word "us" is used. It shows 



74 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

that we are also to pray for others. And as we are to do all we can 
to answer our own prayers, it will of course lead us not to put 
temptation in any way before others, or be a temptation to them. 
"For this is the kingdom and the power and the glory." This 
doxology is not in many of the best Greek manuscripts and is left 
out of the Eevised Version. ' ' This prayer, as indeed every prayer, 
is a letter from earth to heaven. Here is the inscription, Our 
Father: the place is heaven: the contents in the several errands: 
the close for thine is the kingdom : the seal amen : and if you will 
the date, too, this day" (Henry). 

"For if ye forgive not men." Our Lord here comments on 
this prayer of his own giving. He is the best commentator. He 
herein tells us we are not sincere if we expect God to hear our 
prayers and forgive us, and we will not forgive others. Notice 
then that his comment sustains the view we have taken that ' ' Thy 
kingdom come means justification or forgiveness of sins," for 
forgiveness is not mentioned explicitly in this prayer. Yet it is 
in it. 

Fasting. The Old Testament prescribed only one day for fasting. 
Christ ordained no day for a set fast. He did not forbid fasting, 
but it seems to us he taught fasting to be the expression of sorrow 
of heart and not a means of grace that has in it any meritorious 
quality. It is often, like prayer, a help to spiritual development 
while it does not itself bring salvation. He told his disciples 
that they could not fast while he was with them like the disciples 
of John, who were deprived of their master (Matt. 9:14-15). 
They who fast should be they who feel that the Master is not 
with them, or they, who are so burdened for the souls of those 
about them that the appetite is gone. This is the only genuine 
fasting; that which comes from the heart. God's providences 
sometime indicate that general fasting is appropriate in great 
national or social calamity, or when the church is under general 
pressure for the salvation of men. But to "put it on" as did 
the Pharisees, by disfiguring the face and appearing to fast is 
hypocrisy. The Old Testament tells what a real fast is. (See 
Isaiah 58:3-7). 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 75 

CONSECRATION OF MONEY. Vs. 19-24. 

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth 
and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal : 

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither 
moth nor rust doth corrupt, arid where thieves do not break through 
nor steal : 

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

22 The light of the body is the eye : if therefore thine eye be 
single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 

23 But if thine eye ;be evil, thy whole body shall be full of dark- 
ness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great 
is that darkness ! 

24 No man can serve two masters : for either he will hate the 
one, and love the other ; or else he will hold to the one, and despise 
the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

He now strikes at eovetousness, one of the great characteristics 
of the carnal mind of which the Pharisees were specially guilty. 
Many think they are entirely consecrated or entirely sanctified, 
who fall down before this evil. It eats the soul like a canker, like 
a moth and the rust which he speaks of in these verses. It is 
especially the vice of the aged, who have cultivated it for a life 
time. When the fires of fleshly lusts have burned out this flame 
rages the hotter. Jesus gives two reasons here why we should not 
be covetous and greedy to lay up treasures on earth. 1. Because 
moth and rust corrupt. Garments were used as money in the East. 
Naaman brought out his gold and silver garments to buy the cure 
of leprosy. Moth eats garments, rust eats money, and mice and 
decay will devour greenbacks. The idea is that riches are uncer- 
tain and if our hearts are set on them we shall be disappointed. 

2. The love of money corrupts the soul. If your treasure is 
on this earth your heart will not be in heaven. You will be earthly 
minded and not heavenly minded. You will love this world so 
well as not to care particularly about heaven. This verse does 
not condemn wise provision for the future, for he that provideth 
not for his own is worse than an infidel, says Paul. But it does 
forbid laying up treasures. And right here there is danger even 
in looking out for the future, lest as the drinker gradually creates 
an appetite for liquor, so we may create an appetite for money 
unconsciously, while making provision for the future. Real holi- 
ness means death to the love of money. How many have it? 



76 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

What? the love of money; real holiness; one or the other. We 
can not have both. "If a man pursues his business that he may 
raise himself to a state of figure and riches in this world, he is 
no longer serving God in his employment, and has no more title 
to a reward from God than he that gives alms that he may be 
seen, or prays, that he may be heard of men. For vain and earthly 
designs are no more allowable in our employments, than in our 
alms and devotions." (Wesley.) 

' * If thine eye be single. ' ' The eye is the organ of vision. 
We see because light comes through the eye to the optic nerve. If 
the eye is perfectly healthy and complete in construction, we shall 
see objects as they are. If our eye is evil or diseased we shall see 
objects in the wrong light. For instance, some forms of disease 
cause us to see double. Other forms of eye-disease cause us to 
see things in the wrong colors. This is called color blindness. 
Still other forms of disease prevent from seeing any thing. What 
the eye is to the body, the heart is to the spiritual or inner man. 
By the heart is meant the will and the affections. The Greek 
word here translated single means simplicity or singleness that is 
free from any mixture or not compounded. It means that the in- 
tention and affections are pure: not mixed with any sinfulness. 
It means an entirely sanctified heart. This same word is trans- 
lated in Eom. 12:8 "simplicity." It means that if we have a 
pure heart, it shall be free from that covetousness and worldli- 
ness of which the previous verses (19-21) speak, and so our 
whole body will be filled with the light. We shall see things as 
they are. Our gaze will be on heaven and divine things and not 
on this world. The people whose whole being is filled with the 
light of God are those who have pure hearts. The Bible has much 
to say about purity of heart as connected with seeing. "Blessed 
are the pure in heart for they shall see God. ' ' " Holiness with- 
out which no man shall see the Lord." "Why beholdest thou 
the mote that is in thy brother's eye and considerest not the 
beam that is in thine own eye." What we see depends on what 
we are. If we look upon money as a thing to be worshipped and 
are living for it and for this world, our spiritual eye sight will 
be very poor. No wonder there are many professed Christians 
who can not see into holiness. They have put out their spiritual 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 77 

eye sight, if they ever had any. It is only a pure heart that has 
the light of holiness and happiness. "What the eye is to the 
body, the heart (not the intellect) is to the soul. If the heart is 
pure, we see God and heavenly things, and take hold on truth, 
and are made righteous: if it be corrupt, all is corrupt, and the 
very power of moral and spiritual discernment is abated and 
finally destroyed: for the soul that begins by practically dis- 
regarding spiritual truths, ends by losing the power of perceiving 
them" (Abbott). Inbred sin is the cause of spiritual blindness. 
' ' No man can serve two masters. ' ' He means that we can not 
live for heaven and for this world, too. Our treasure can not 
be in both places. We can not serve God and Mammon. Mam- 
mon was the name of an idol worshipped by the heathen, and was 
their god of riches. The man who lays up his treasure in heaven 
is worshipping Jehovah. The man, who is laying up his treasures 
on earth, is worshipping Mammon. We can not worship both. 
This does not mean that it is necessarily wrong to be rich, for 
Job and Abraham were rich. A man can often do great things 
for God because of his riches which he could not do if poor. It 
means we must not love money or make it an idol. To "serve" 
means to be the slave of, or servant. The man who loves money 
becomes its servant and a hard service it is too. "Job was rich, 
but he served not Mammon but possessed it and ruled over it, and 
was master and not slave" (Chrysostom). There will more people 
probably be damned for their misuse of money than for adultery 
or the so-called grosser sins. God says, ' ' Covetousness is idol- 
atry, " and he puts covetous people in the same category with the 
vilest, who will be shut out of heaven. (See 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Eph. 
5:5.) 

A HOLY MAN TRUSTS GOD FOR TEMPORAL THINGS. 

Vs. 25-34. 

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, 
what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink ; nor yet for your body, 
what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body 
than raiment? 

26 Behold the fowls of the air : for they sow not, neither do they 
reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. 
Are ye not much better than they? 



78 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his 
stature ? 

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of 
the field, how they grow ; they toil not, neither do they spin : 

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory 
was not arrayed like one of these. 

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to 
day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more 
clothe you, O ye of little faith? 

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, 
What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your 
heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness ; 
and all these things shall be added unto you. 

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow : for the morrow 
shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day 
is the evil thereof. 

These verses are the conclusion of the preceding section, that 
treats on laying up treasures. " Therefore ' ' (because ye can not 
serve God and mammon and because God has promised to take 
care of us and because we are to pray in faith each day, "Give 
us our daily bread") we must not worry about tomorrow, for 
God has promised to take care of his true children. We must 
therefore ' i Take no thought for our life. ' ' We must understand 
that the Greek word here is improperly rendered. It means not 
" thought' ' but that which divides the mind; hence, that which 
gives it anxiety. And so the Revised Version has rendered it. 
"Be not anxious for your life." This is the true meaning of the 
Saviour. He does not mean that we can not have a wise fore- 
thought for the things necessary for our sustenance. But he for- 
bids us to worry about our bread and butter. "Is not the life 
more than meat and the body more than raiment?" If God gave 
us bodies in which to glorify Him, will he not give us those things 
necessary to support those bodies'? 

"Behold the fowls of the air." He gives another reason; 
that is, if he takes care of the birds who do not raise their own 
food will he not take care of his children? He does not mean that 
we are not to sow and reap, but we are not to be any more anxious 
if we are true to God, for our daily food and raiment than are 
the birds. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW ?9 

Another reason why we should not worry is because it does no 
good. "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to 
his stature. ' ' Here is the same Greek word again, which means 
anxiety. And thus the Revised Version has it again, "Which of 
you by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature. ' ' Worry 
will not enable a man to grow a single thousandth part of an inch. 
And if it will not add to the dimensions of the body it certainly 
will not feed or clothe it. Some one says there are two things 
that we ought not to worry about : those things we can not help and 
those things that we can help. Worry does no good but it often 
does harm. 

Our Saviour here says that worry does no good. Some think 
that as the same Greek word in John 9:21 is translated "age," 
that he meant to say, using the word in a figurative sense, ' ' Which 
of you by being anxious can add to the length of your life." It 
means the same thing. No one will live any longer by worry. It 
usually works to shorten life. 

' ' Consider the lilies of the field. ' ' Jesus went to nature often 
for his illustrations: a hint to the preacher and teacher. Na- 
ture and grace are two kingdoms ruled over by the same God. 
His workings in nature are usually a fine illustration of what he 
does in grace. ' ' Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like 
one of these. ' ' Solomon was the king who reigned in more splendor 
than any other of the Jewish kings. His reign was the most 
splendid and was always looked back to by the Jews, as the illus- 
tration of the greatest splendor the world ever knew. Yet all 
this glory was surpassed by the flowers of the field. Take the 
most splendid human fabrication, whether of gold or silver or 
clothing, and put it under the microscope and it will appear rough 
and imperfect. But put one of the smallest and most delicate of 
the flowers that God has made under the glass and it is found 
to be perfect. Abbott thinks this means that he is rebuking those 
who are worried because they can not make as much display as 
their neighbors. l ' Our worry and anxiety are for the most part 
not for the food and clothing that are necessary for our life and 
usefulness, but for the means to equal and surpass our neighbors 
in display: and yet with all our striving the wild flowers of the 
field surpass us. ' ' If we were as splendidly arrayed as Solomon, 



80 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

the flowers are even more so and God takes care of them. The 
grass that God takes so much care of in its fashioning and the 
lilies interspersed in it are east into the oven for fuel. God who 
takes care of the birds and the grass and lilies will certainly 
take care of his children. * ' Oh ye of little faith. ' ' There is noth- 
ing in the Scripture that so excited the censure of Jesus as lack 
of faith. We find him upbraiding his disciples more for lack or 
weakness of faith than for any other thing. The world makes 
its chief object worldly treasures " after these things do the 
Gentiles seek. ' ' And if we are after the same things as the world 
how do we differ from the world? How are we any better than 
they if we act as they dof Let the world worship mammon, but 
we must worship only God. Our business is to "seek first the 
kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall 
be added unto" us. That is, all the necessary things as food and 
raiment and shelter, if we seek the kingdom of God, not merely 
first in point of time but make it the Chief thing. Who believes 
it? let him then so act. It is a comforting thought to the trusting 
soul that "Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need 
of these things. " " Take therefore no thought for the morrow, 
for the morrow shall take thought for itself." We have already 
shown in verses 25 and 27 that the word means anxiety. The 
Revised Version renders it "Be not therefore anxious for the mor- 
row for the morrow will be anxious for itself." The day has 
sufficient trouble of its own without borrowing from tomorrow. 
But how shall one live thus free from worry? By having the 
"old Man" cast out who is the root of worry, and having that 
holiness symbolized by "the single eye" of verse 22. 



CHAPTER VII. 
A HOLINESS SERMON (Concluded). 

Holiness is Free from Censoriousness. Vs. 1-6. All the Blessings 
of the Sanctified Life Come Through the Prayer of Faith. Vs. 
7-12. The Way to Heaven is Holy, Narrow and Unpopular. 
Vs. 13-14. We Must Beware of Teachers of False Doctrine. 
Vs. 15-20. The Fruit of True Holiness is Obedience to God. 
Vs. 21-23. The Conclusion of This Great Sermon is Summed 
Up in Obedience. Vs. 24-29. 

HOLINESS IS FREE FROM CENSORIOUSNESS. Vs. 1-6. 

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged : and 
with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, 
but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote 
out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye ; 
and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy 
brother's eye. 

6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your 
pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and 
turn again and rend you. 

Holiness is the opposite of self righteousness. Self righteous- 
ness compares itself with others and seeks to belittle them that 
its own excellencies may shine by the comparison. This was the 
great sin of the Pharisees. Jesus tells us this in the parable of the 
Pharisee and the Publican. "He spake this parable unto certain 
which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised 
others. ' ' This seems to be the judging referred to in this chapter. 
Of course it does not mean the judicial act of a judge in court 
for the Bible commends these and says "the powers that be are 

81 



82 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

ordained of God. ' ' It certainly does not mean that we are not 
to form an opinion of the acts of others. It would be impossible 
to be intelligent and fail to notice things that are not right. 
But it condemns those people who would cut off and consign to 
eternal damnation those who do not agree with them; the people, 
who take the judgment seat and tell just who is saved and who is 
not, who will get to heaven and who will not, who assume to take 
the place of the Great Judge himself. This is contrary to the 
perfect love, of which Paul speaks, that "thinketh no evil," 
and that God requires. 

Such people judge by appearances. They can not see the 
heart as God does. And they shall be judged the same way 
that they judge others. "With what judgment ye judge, ye 
shall be judged." We have seen it again and again. Those who 
have been the hardest and most censorious have just as merciless 
critics after them, dealing out to them their own medicine. We 
never knew it to fail. Let us not suppose that the judgment re- 
ferred to here is what they shall receive in the world to come 
merely. Some of it is here. The Pharisee judged the Publican and 
the Judge himself, who sees men's hearts as they are, judged him. 
"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye." 
It is thy brother's eye. This seems to be directed principally to 
Christians who are judging their brother Christians while the judg- 
ment or opinion of verse 6 is of the unsaved, wicked world — the 
swine. The mote in the brother's eye was small in comparison to 
the beam in the critic's eye. Why did he see the mote in his 
brother's eye? Because of the beam in his own eye. A beam is a 
bad thing for the sight. We saw that the eye was the organ of 
vision in Chapter 6:22. We also saw there that the eye is the 
affections. When the heart is pure it helps wonderfully in seeing 
spiritual truths. People who are censorious have in their hearts 
the beam of inbred sin. This is what ailed the church at Corinth. 
They were yet carnal, full of their criticisms of each other. In- 
bred sin is the beam which makes people always seeing motes and 
keeps them in the mote business. No man who has a beam in his 
own eye is fit to say to his brother, "Let me pull the mote out 
of thine eye. ' ' A blind man can never become a good oculist. 
Who would want to employ a blind man to remove a cataract from 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 83 

his eyes? A man who has inbred sin in him is a poor workman 
to try to help the church or sinners. They will say, "Physician 
heal thyself. ' ' 

We see then that all preachers of the gospel, teachers of the 
Sunday School and reformers generally ought to be wholly sanc- 
tified. How opposite to this principle is the uncharity of bigotry 
or fanaticism. How different from the command of St. PauL 
' ' Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault ye that are spiritual 
ought to restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering 
thyself lest thou also be tempted." Our treatment of the erring 
is a good test of what we are ourselves. Holiness means per- 
fect love to man as truly as it does perfect love to God. Harsh 
criticism is destructive of spiritual ilfe. Real holiness is con- 
structive. ' ' Thou perceivest on thy own selfish judgment seat that 
thy brother has very absurd opinions: he sees things very strange- 
ly: it is because of that little splinter in his eye: take it out. 
Alas! there is no splinter there. What thou seest is only the 
image of a whole timber in thine own eye reflected into his. That 
timber is made by some moral mistake, some selfish passion of thine 
own. Perhaps when thou hast pitched the lumber out of thine 
own optics, thou wilt find the splinter gone from his." (Whedon.) 
It is wonderful how good a lot of people will look to us, when we 
are good ourselves, whom we could not endure before. A man who 
is very anxious to reform other people but not as equally anxious 
to be right himself is a hypocrite. A hypocrite is one who acts 
a part. This is the definition of the word. He is only acting a 
part. He does not really mean it. 

"Give not that which is holy to dogs." This verse throws 
light on verse 1, showing that by ' ' judging ' ' he does not mean 
that we are not to have an opinion of people. We can not help 
it, for perception of character about us is involuntary. But we 
are not to consign men to perdition even if we see that they 
are bad. Let God do that, where it is just. There are people 
who are doglike and swinish in their nature, who rail upon us 
when we are trying to do them good. There are people like the 
swine, so beastly that they will not appreciate purity. The only 
thing they are competent to understand is that there is a lake of 
fire and brimstone. It is no use to testify or teach holiness to 
them. It is all thrown away if intended for them. 



84 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

ALL THE BLESSINGS OF THE SANCTIFIED LIFE COME 
THEOUGH THE PRAYER OF FAITH. Vs. 7-12. 

7 Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, 
and it shall be opened unto you : 

8 For every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh 
findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 

9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will 
be give him a stone? 

10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 

11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your 
children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give 
good things to them that ask him? 

12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should 
do to you, do ye even so to them : for this is the law and the 
prophets. 

A comparison of verse 11 and Luke 11:13 show an apparent 
discrepancy. There he says that the Holy Spirit will be given. 
Here he says "Good things" (vs. 11). But the discrepancy is more 
apparent than real. The Holy Spirit is The Gift of all gifts; 
called The Promise of The Father (Acts 1:4). It was the great 
promise of The Old Testament, which had not been fulfilled. The 
promise of Jesus himself had been fulfilled. We note this promise 
in such passages as Isa. 32:15; 44:3 and Joel 2:28). This is the 
grand climax of the gospel of the Old and New Testaments — a 
heart filled with the spirit of God. This is the source of all 
the spiritual blessings of the divine life in the soul. This is the 
root of all the blessings of the sanctified life and so when he 
says here ' ' good things, ' ' it means the spiritual blessings, which 
are the real blessings of life, in comparison with which the temporal 
gifts of life are not to be mentioned in the same day, even as 
the soul is infinitely superior to the body. 

Having told us in the previous sections of the sermon how not 
to be like the Pharisees, or rather how to avoid their mistaken 
outside righteousness, He now tells us how to put on positive 
righteousness, by asking and receiving the Holy Spirit, who will 
adorn our character with all "the good things" of the spiritual 
life." 

This is akin to the statement of the Apostle in Rom. 8:32: 
* l How shall he not with him freely give us all things. ' ' This then 
is an illustration of how we should pray for the gift ef The 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 85 

Holy Ghost. 1. We are to ask. We sometimes are in doubt as 
to what the will of God is and for what we should ask. There 
are some things that are so clearly stated in the Bible as the 
will of God that we can not be in doubt as to them. One of 
these is the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the unqualified will of 
God that we should ask for and receive this gift. God will not 
give it to those who do not care enough to ask. Anything that 
is worth having is worth asking for. 2. We are to seek. Asking 
is not enough. We should be on the stretch for it as a hungry 
child is for the bread for which he asks. It means a constant 
expectation of receiving it. The man, who asks without any 
present expectation of getting it, is not seeking. We are to 
ask as if all depended on God and then seek as if it all depended on 
us. Such seeking will lead a man, who is in earnest, to see if 
he has anything in his life that hinders the answer to his prayer. 
3. Knock. When there seems something in the way of our obtain- 
ing, as apparently impossible as a closed door we are to be as 
importunate as a hungry child, who tries to get the attention 
of those who are inside that they may open the door. This is 
real hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Asking, and seek- 
ing, and knocking mean all the intensity of our nature. It does 
not mean sitting down and going to sleep, or being passive receivers 
of some irresistible blessing, that will sweep over us. The disciples 
at Pentecost were all filled with the Holy Spirit but it did not 
come by accident, or to a company who had their minds on some 
other thing and were surprised at the result. It means we must 
definitely seek and be expecting. Some people think that this 
definite work of preaching and inviting is overdone. It is the 
scriptural command. 

"If his son ask bread will he give him a stone?" A stone 
is not like bread. It is not to be eaten. It will not satisfy the 
wants of the body. It will not appease hunger. The children of 
God want a satisfying religion as much as a hungry child wants 
bread. They have it when they receive the Gift of the Spirit. 
Read the parallel account of Luke, chapter 11. He says, "How 
much more shall your heavenly Father give The Holy Spirit to 
them that ask him." He does not give us a stone to break our 
teeth— an idle empty blessing. HE IS MOBE WILLING TO GIVE 



86 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

THE HOLY SPIRIT THAN WE ABE TO GIVE BREAD TO 
OUR CHILDREN. This is something definite. It is the very thing 
we ask for — bread. That is, the Holy Spirit is a definite gift — 
not "more religion" or a "deeper work of grace" but THE 
HOLY SPIRIT. If you have asked for bread, do not call it by 
some other name, when you get it. "Or if he ask a fish will he 
give him a serpent?" A serpent is dangerous. God will not give 
his children something dangerous. And yet some people have 
thought that this is a very dangerous doctrine to give to the 
people, that God will make us temples for his indwelling. This 
teaches us that God is as anxious and delights as much in giving 
The Holy Spirit to those of his children, who ask him, as we 
delight to feed our children. Who of us really believe that God 
is delighted to give the Holy Spirit to his asking children? 

' ' Therefore. ' ' This is one of the logical conclusions of Jesus, 
the great reasoner. If God delights to give his best gift to us, even 
more than we delight to give to our children, we ought therefore 
to be equally benevolent towards others. Hence he gives the 
world-wide, famous golden rule: "As ye would that men should 
do to you, do ye even so to them." The golden rule is the 
result of a holy character and none but a holy man can practice 
it from the heart. 

' ' Ye being evil. ' ' These disciples had not yet had their Pente- 
cost and had sin in them and hence he could say to them although 
they had been born again (as we have seen in Chapter three), they 
were ' ' evil. " ll Stier well observes that the remark is a strong 
indirect support of the doctrine of original sin." (Abbott.) 

THE WAY TO HEAVEN IS HOLY, NARROW AND UN- 
POPULAR. Vs. 13-14. 

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, anl 
broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be 
which go in thereat : 

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which 
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 

There seems to be no special connection here. The sentiments 
and principles of Christ are now laid down, as he is concluding his 
sermon, more after the nature of detached aphoristic commands. 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 8V 

Yet there is one great thought running through them all and that 
is the nature of the kingdom of heaven, for that is the key to 
his ministry. The gate to this holy way is narrow. It is the 
gate of repentance which leads into, not heaven by and by, but 
the present kingdom of heaven. We must pass through the present 
kingdom of heaven, or narrow way, in order to reach the more 
excellent glory. The gate of repentance is so narrow that it will 
not allow room enough for a single sin. We must leave them all 
behind. But is not the regenerated life holy before we receive 
the sanctifying Spirit in all his fulness? Certainly. It is so holy 
that while the regenerate man has in him yet the tendencies to 
sin because of his depraved nature yet he cannot take a single sin- 
ful act into the way of conversion with him. The regenerate life is 
so high and holy that it does not admit of any sins. Not only is 
the gate narrow, but the way is narrow all along; no sin in order 
to get in, and no sin in order to remain in the way. " Whosoever 
is born of God doth not commit sin. ' ' This is what John Bunyan 
called The Wicket Gate. It is an unpopular way so Jesus says, 
for he declares: "Few there be that find it." Few people really 
get converted according to Christ. That is the reason that all sorts 
of religion are popular except that which demands repentance. The 
popular religion of the world is of the devil, to beguile men, who 
are not willing to deny themselves and take up the cross of Jesus. 
Men love sin too well to give it up. "They see the crowd rush- 
ing through the broad gate: they desire nothing better than so 
liberal a route, and they would not press through the narrow way 
if it were before their eyes." (Whedon.) "There are few that 
find the way to heaven: fewer yet who abide in it: fewer still 
who walk in it: and fewest of all who persevere unto the end. 
Nothing renders the way either narrow or difficult but sin. Let 
all the world leave their sins, and all the world may walk abreast 
in this good way." (Clarke.) 

WE MUST BEWAKE OF TEACHEES OF FALSE DOCTRINE. 
Vs. 15-20. 

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's 
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 

16 Ye shall know them iby their fruits. Do men gather grapes 
of thorns, or figs of thistles? 



88 COMMENT AET ON THE GOSPEL' 

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit ; but a 
corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a cor- 
rupt tree bring forth good fruit. 

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, 
and cast into the fire. 

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 

Christianity has suffered more from inside heresies and false 
doctrines than from the attacks of infidels and enemies on the 
outside. Jesus and the apostles had to continually oppose false 
teachers, who came in the name of Christianity. And in no depart- 
ment has it suffered more than in the false teachers of its central 
doctrine, which is holiness. All sorts of doctrines have been 
advanced that propose to allow sin to exist. The sin question is 
the vital point and all the great heresies that have wrought ruin 
to the advancement of true religion have started with those who 
diverged first from the truth on the Sin question. Much of the 
epistles were written to counteract false doctrine. 

"Sheep's clothing." Whedon says this is a "symbol of a pro- 
fessional and merely external holiness. ' ' History repeats itself, 
and as long as the carnal mind exists we will always have those 
who will advance heresies. The work of the flesh is heresies (Gal. 
5:20). There is such a thing as a professional holiness that allows 
the "old man" to live. 

"Ye shall know them by their fruits." There is no more 
misunderstood Scripture in the whole Bible than this. It is almost 
always misapplied. It is usually quoted as applying to the lives 
of individuals about us. It does not apply in that sense at all. 
We can not always tell what people are by their outward appear- 
ance. They can, and frequently do, deceive us. Man looks at the 
outward appearance: but God alone, who looks at the heart, can 
tell absolutely what is in a man, or what he is. This Scripture 
was spoken of religious teachers and their doctrines and not of 
the religious or moral character. It means that we can and must 
judge of doctrines by their fruits. We think that the reason 
this injunction follows immediately the command to enter the 
strait gate is because the great error into which false prophets, 
in every age, have beguiled the people is that they can be in 
the kingdom of God without having forsaken their sins. A sinning 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 89 

religion is a religion of the false prophets. It is very popular 
today to believe that men can be Christians and yet be practising 
sin. It is considered a mark of fanaticism to preach that a Chris- 
tian must live without committing Sin and does so live. And 
there are pulpits that advocate this heresy. They are false prophets. 
1 ' A corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. ' ' The nature of a 
tree and the nature of a man correspond with each other. Be- 
ware of the doctrines that do not mean death to the sin principle 
within us. A false prophet is a teacher who is not radical on the 
sin question. We believe this Scripture applies especially to those, 
who in the church, trusted by it and supported by it, use their 
position to undermine the very doctrines that they have vowed to 
sustain and profess to believe, or did when they were ordained. 

THE FRUIT OF TRUE HOLINESS IS OBEDIENCE TO GOD. 

Vs. 21-23. 

21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter 
into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father 
which is in heaven. 

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not 
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? 
and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you : depart 
from me, ye that work iniquity. 

"Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord," that is, who 
makes a profession of religion. How this hits the popular notion 
that because we have professed religion and have partaken of the 
ordinances therefore we are sure of heaven. The sin question and 
not our profession of religion is to be the test. Have we a religion 
that enables us to keep God's commandments: that keeps us from 
sinning, is the question. He that has divine power so shed abroad 
in his heart that he can keep God's commands or do the will 
of God is the man, who will be finally saved, if he perseveres in 
keeping the commandments. He who does the will of God in earth 
as it is done in heaven is the only one that is fit for heaven. 
(See Chapter 6:10.) 

Some have seemed to think that position as a public teacher 
or preacher will enable them to find acceptance with God. But 



90 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

this is a mistake. God puts all ecclesiastics — popes and cardinals, 
Arch-bishops and Bishops, Elders and laymen on the same platform 
as far as their private personal experience is concerned. The 
Bishops have to go through the same narrow gate of separation 
from sin that the humblest layman goes through. Many preachers 
and dignitaries are to be awfully surprised in that day of accounts. 
A religion that will not enable us to keep the commandments of 
God is a failure for both worlds. ' ' Then will I profess I never 
knew you." The Greek here is publicly profess. What a day 
that will be, when ths king shall pronounce this awful sentence 
to those who have done great things in his name and yet are cast 
out. As sin is the transgression of the commandments . of God, 
those preachers, who have defended sin by saying we can not keep 
the divine commandment are false prophets. What will be their 
fate when He publicly professes "I never knew you"? They had 
never even been converted although God had used the truth they 
preached and saved souls through their ministry because truth 
is truth no matter who speaks it. 

THE CONCLUSION OF THIS GEEAT SERMON IS SUMMED 
UP IN OBEDIENCE. Vs. 24-29. 

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth 
them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon 
a rock : 

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds 
blew, and heat upon that house ; and it fell not : for it was founded 
upon a rock. 

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth 
them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house 
upon the sand : 

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds 
blew, and beat upon that house ; and it fell : and great was the fall 
of it. 

28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the 
people were astonished at his doctrine : 

29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the 
scribes. 

This is the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount begun in 
Chapter 5 and carried on through chapters five, six and seven. 
The first great announcement of God to man was in the ten com- 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 91 

mandments, which marked the epoch of the law. This second great 
announcement marks the epoch or dispensation of The Gospel. 
It is the platform of the greatest leader of human history and 
has never been outgrown by the world and never can be. It sup- 
plements the law, by showing that the only way to fulfill it, is 
to have within us a holy heart. This is the righteousness that 
' ' exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. ' ' Jesus 
calls the whole discourse, ' ' These sayings of mine. ' ' 

Every man is building a character. If he builds it on the foun- 
dation, Jesus Christ, and puts up the walls of good works in obedi- 
ence to the divine will his house will stand when the day of test- 
ing comes. Every character that is built is like every house, it 
has a testing time that must surely come. Sorrow, trials, and 
temptations will beat upon us all, but the man who has put his 
good works on the foundation Christ Jesus will stand the storm. 
The man who has built his house on the foundation of good works 
alone, no matter how good they are, will fail. Building material 
for walls makes poor foundation. Morality was never intended 
for a foundation but for the walls of good works that are to be 
built on the true foundation, Jesus Christ. 

1 ' The sermon on the mount contains a summary of all the great 
moral principles and cardinal doctrines of the Gospel, except the 
atonement. 

His own divinity, as the superior of Moses and the final Judge 
of men, is fully asserted; man's fallen and evil nature, the need 
of the Holy Spirit to salvation, the duty and success of prayer for 
its bestowment, are affirmed; faith in Christ as the only rock of 
safety, the necessity of renouncing self and the world, and giving 
ourselves by faith to God, whereby we may be regenerated into sons 
of God, are plentifully explained: holiness of heart, Christian per- 
fection, and purity are described and required in explicit terms; 
probation, the final judgment, and everlasting retribution, are de- 
picted in the clearest colors; and though the cross is not fully 
presented, yet that spirit of faith is powerfully inculcated, by 
which the cross, in fullness of time, would be embraced with full 
purpose of heart" (Whedon). Jesus taught this all with authority. 
The Scribes and Pharisees had been accustomed to say, "The law 
says so and so, ' ' but Jesus says, ' ' I say. ' ' He assumed authority 



92 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

such as only God has. Hence he taught that he was God, for 
never man spake as this man. It is the personality of the preacher 
that is the great factor or element of preaching. The man who has 
an experience of the things he preaches has authority such as 
no other teacher can have. How important then that those who 
preach on holiness, the great theme of the Bible, have the ex- 
perience ! 



CHAPTER VIII. 
THE HOLY MAN, THE WORLD'S BENEFACTOR. 

Jesus' Cure of Sin Symbolized. Vs. 1-4. The Faith of Others De- 
lights a Holy Heart. Vs. 5-13. Jesus, The Healer. Vs. 14-17. 
Holiness Never Compromises. Vs. 18-22. Holiness Abhors Un- 
belief. Vs. 23-27. Holiness is Unappreciated by the Very 
People it Has Come to Bless. Vs. 28-34. 

JESUS' CUBE OF SIN SYMBOLIZED. Vs. 1-4. 

1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes 
followed him. 

2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying. 
Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 

3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will ; 
be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 

4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man ; but go thy 
way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses com- 
manded, for a testimony unto them. 

The last three chapters reveal the wonderful sayings of Jesus. 
This chapter shows some of his wonderful doings. It was said 
of him, ' ' Never man spake like this man. ' ' It could be said 
with equal truth, never man did as this man. He was not only 
wonderful in word but also wonderful in works. The five miracles 
specially recorded in this chapter did not necessarily occur imme- 
diately after his discourse on The Mount. It is not known just 
when they occurred. We are unfortunate in our division of the 
Bible into chapters sometimes. The first verse of this chapter 
is, ' ' When he was come down from the mount. ' ' It should have 
been put into the previous chapter, to which it belongs. Matthew 
after giving the account of the temptation of Jesus gave his plat- 
form of principles. He now gives some of his miracles which 
still further showed his divinity. We must remember that all the 

93 



94 COMMENTABY ON THE GOSPEL 

miracles of Jesus are not given in the New Testament record. 
There would not have been space. No doubt hundreds and thou- 
sands were cured by him in his three years' ministry. We think 
from the nature of his recorded miracles, that only those miracles 
were described which illustrated the miracles which he works on 
the soul. In other words we have reason to believe that only 
those miracles were given that illustrate salvation of the soul 
from sin. 

A leper came to him and said as he worshipped him, "Lord 
if thou wilt thou canst make me clean." Leprosy was the scrip- 
tural type of sin. We know this to be true, because no other 
disease had a religious ceremony required whenever it was cured. 
(See Lev. Ch. 14.) In the first chapter of Isaiah the sinful condi- 
tion of Israel is compared to leprosy thus, "The whole head is 
sick and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even 
unto the head there is no soundness in it: but wounds and bruises 
and putrefying sores: they have not been closed neither bound 
up, neither mollified with ointment." Note the points of analogy 
between leprosy and sin. 

1. They are loathesome diseases. "Leprosy in its worst form, 
was one of the most terrible of diseases. It began with red 
spots upon the body, grouped in circles, and covered with a shiny 
scale or scab. It became generally incurable, and so corrupted the 
system that it became hereditary for generations. The body 
crumbled, the limbs fell apart and the man literally went to 
pieces." If we could see the soul of a sinner as God sees it, we 
should see something equally as bad. God uses this figure to show 
how offensive sin is to him. Unless men get rid of it, it will 
corrupt the soul completely. 

2. Both were hereditary. The child born into the leper's 
family had in him leprous tendencies which sooner or later man- 
ifested themselves. All children born into this world have in 
them the tendencies to sin which sooner or later manifest them- 
selves. Our children are innocent but not pure. We find in them 
a tendency to go wrong. This is seen in the fact that we never 
have to teach them to be bad. It comes natural. But we do have 
to teach them to be good. This is the doctrine of every evangelical 
church. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 95 

3. Leprosy and sin are constitutional diseases, that have their 
outward manifestation. Leprosy has outward eruptions in the 
scale or scab. Sin has its eruptions, in the wicked word, the act 
of sin, the evil thought and the evil look. Sin and leprosy were 
therefore diseases of the outward and inward man. 

4. Nothing but a cure of the inward disease can meet the 
requirements of the case. It is so with sin. Do all you please to 
reform men and culture them, if you stop there, the cause of the 
world's evils has not been touched, and sin will manifest itself 
sooner or later. Outside treatment will not cure it. It would have 
been useless to doctor the outside eruptions of the leper. It is 
as useless to try to save men by anything except the Gospel cure, 
which Jesus came to provide, which reaches the seat of the dis- 
ease — the heart — and destroys the disease. 

5. Lepers and sinners must be banished from the presence of 
those who are well and sound. The law required it. The leper 
must be separated from society. He could dwell with no one but 
lepers. Unless we are set free from sin we too must be forever 
banished from the presence of God and holy angels. It is holiness 
or hell. 

6. All classes are subject to these diseases. The king on his 
throne might have them as well as the beggar in the hovel. Sin 
is among all classes. We are apt to think that because a man 
dresses well or has a good deal of money or is refined or cultured 
after the fashion of this world that he is not so wretched in the 
sight of God as those who dwell in squalid surroundings. But God 
does not care for class distinctions or broadcloth or money. 

7. A leper on a throne is as bad in his sight as a wretched 
beggar. Sin is sin with God. We need to insist on this, as many 
do not seem to think so. 

8. There is no earthly cure for sin or leprosy. Men have 
been trying their cures for sin for thousands of years but it baf- 
fles human skill. 

9. God sometimes cured leprosy, and he sometimes (whenever 
men are willing to fulfill the conditions) cures sin. Power divine 
is more than a match for sin — ' ' For this purpose the Son of God 
was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." 
Jesus is a physician as well as an Advocate. Some have only 



96 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

looked upon him as an Advocate, who gets men free from the 
demands of the law. But the Bible calls him a physician. It is 
not right to neglect this part of his office and invite and urge 
men to seek pardon for their sinful acts and not tell them that 
he is also ready to cleanse from the disease. 

10. When these diseases (leprosy and sin) are cured they 
are not merely suppressed but they are gone entirely. There is a 
class of religionists who assert that the best we can have in this 
life is a salvation that keeps sin suppressed or held down. But 
when the leper was cured of leprosy, it was not suppressed. It 
was cured. And the cleansing of leprosy is a type of the cleansing 
of sin. Therefore it means that we may be free from sin. When 
Jesus said, ' ' Blessed are the pure in heart, ' ' he was not talking 
about suppression of sin in the heart for that is not purity. Purity 
means the absence — not the suppression of impurity. Let us then 
see how this man was cured of his leprosy and thereby see how 
we may be cured of sin. 

1. He became a seeker. He was in earnest to be cured. Many 
would like full salvation but they do not want it enough to single 
themselves out from the crowd and make a business of seeking. 
All many do is to indulge in a few gentle desires for cleansing, 
but the man who gets it, must make a business of seeking, and 
be as much in earnest about it as was this leper. It makes us 
weary to hear people say they want a Sanctified heart, who will 
make no definite, pronounced effort to obtain it. The man who 
will not be willing to do anything that will help him to get to 
Jesus, whether it be to pray, go to an altar, confess his need, 
or anything else, prefers sin to holiness, and he is simply getting 
what he wants most. We have got just that which we most prefer. 

It cost this man something to break over the law that required 
lepers to keep away from the people, who were well. It meant 
that the people would condemn him. Society today will condemn 
us, if we get very much in earnest in seeking for salvation. If 
we care more for the good opinions of men than for soul health, 
we shall not be cured. 

2. He asked for the cure. He made it a matter of prayer. 
Full salvation from all sin ought to be made a matter of prayer. 
We protest against and object to reasoning people into the experi- 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 97 

ence of holiness ; taking a passage of Scripture and forming an ar- 
gument from it and calling it done. To be sure there is no virtue 
in prayer of itself; faith is the requisite, but prayer is a great 
help to the exercise of that genuine faith that brings the blessing. 
It does not seem to us that if a soul has a real conviction of the 
nature of the corruption of his heart, he can be any more passive 
in the matter, than the Apostle, who cried out of the depths of his 
heart, ' ' O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the 
body of this death!" Anything that is worth having is worth 
asking for. IT is the son that asTcs bread, who is not turned away 
with a stone. We are to ask that we may receive. We love to see 
such a realization of the horrible nature of inbred sin as begets a 
tremendous earnestness in seeking deliverance from it. 

3. He asked in faith. He said, ' i Lord if thou wilt thon canst 
make me clean." He believed that the Lord could do it. His 
faith measured up to what light he had. He did not have the light 
we have today. God has given us greater assurance that he can 
cure leprosy of sin than this man had. Then it was sovereignly 
bestowed. Now the cure of sin is graciously bestowed. We have 
so many promises that are unqualified that assure us that we may 
be cleansed from all sin, that we would mock God, if we said, 
' ' Lord if thou wilt, ' ' for we know he wants to do it. Notice the 
reply of Jesus is almost identical with the words of the leper, with 
the exception of the word " if . " He said, ' ' Lord if thou wilt. ' ' 
Jesus took out the "if" and replied, "I will; be thou clean." 
Let us under the greater light of the Gospel dispensation say, 
' ' Lord thou canst ; thou wilt make me clean. ' ' Let us take him at 
his word. Even this man was ahead of some today. He believed 
the Lord had the power to cleanse him. There are those who 
seem to doubt the ability of the Lord to cleanse their hearts. They 
think they are too hard cases for Him. Others believe the Lord 
can do it but believe He is not willing. If He is not willing, then 
it is a reflection on Him, which we can not for a moment believe. 
He is too compassionate to let men go on crippled and handi- 
capped with sin who really are anxious, at any cost, to get rid 
of it. It is a libel on his great heart of compasison to say that 
He can but will not cure. 

Notice the time it took to effect the cure. "Immediately his 
leprosy was cleansed." It was instantaneous. There are those 



98 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

who seem to doubt that the same One who instantly cured leprosy- 
can instantly cure sin. But as sure as leprosy is the type of sin 
and its cure is the type of the cure of sin, so sure immediateness 
of the cure of leprosy means immediateness of the cure of sin. 

Mark gives the reason why Jesus " touched him." He was 
"moved with compassion" (Mark 1:41). The touch was a touch 
of pity more wonderful because not only a universal prejudice, but 
also the Levitical law forbade touching any unclean thing (Lev. 
5:3). "Yet even this act of Christ exemplifies the truth that 
he had come to fulfill the law, though he seemed to violate it and 
did not observe its letter. For the object of the law was the 
preservation of purity, but Christ did better than preserve himself 
from impurity; by his touch he communicated purity to the im- 
pure. It is never wrong to come in contact with impurity for the 
purpose of curing it, if we are strong in God to accomplish our 
beneficent purpose." (Abbott.) 

He then commanded him to show himself to the priest in 
accordance with the law (See Leviticus Ch. 14 which tells what 
the sacrifices or "gift" required were). This requiring God's 
priest to pronounce him clean, after certain sacrifices, kept before 
the Jews the fact that leprosy typified sin. He also commanded 
him, "See thou tell no man." This in no sense militates against 
the idea that we are not to tell of the cure of sin. In this case 
Jesus charged him not to tell, lest the priest should deny that he 
had been cured, if the news got ahead of him, before he reached 
the temple. After the priest had seen him and pronounced the 
cure then there could be no reason for his keeping still about it. 
Jesus did not release people from the duty of confession as we see, 
when he required the woman who was cured of the issue of blood 
to come forward and confess it publicly (Mark 5:23). Mark 
gives another reason for his not wishing it announced. The man 
did not obey him but went out and told it everywhere insomuch 
that Jesus could no more enter the city but had to go into desert 
places (See Mark 1:45). The crowds became so great that he 
had to withdraw. Let those who seek to find encouragement from 
this in withholding their testimony remember that they have no 
excuse unless they are going to attract so great crowds that it will 
hinder others from getting salvation, which is an improbable case 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 99 

today. He told the man who was freed from the devil to go home 
and tell it (Mark 5:19). So we can not lay down a general 
principle from this case before us. 

THE FAITH OF OTHERS DELIGHTS A HOLY HEART. 
Vs. 5-13. 

5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto 
him a centurion, beseeching him, 

6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, 
grievously tormented. 

7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 

8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that 
thou shouldest come under my roof : but speak the word only, and 
my servant shall he healed. 

9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me : 
and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth ; and to another, Come, and 
he cometh ; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 

10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that 
followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, 
not in Israel. 

11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east 
and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, 
in the kingdom of heaven. 

12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer 
darkness : there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way ; and as thou 
hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed 
in the selfsame hour. 

Capernaum was one of the chief cities of Galilee, situated 
probably on the north coast of the Sea of Galilee. It was a port of 
entry for goods coming from Syria and had a custom house.. 
Consequently the Roman government had there a garrison, as it 
was a prominent city of that region. There was a centurion there 
(An officer who commanded a company of one hundred soldiers, 
called a century). This centurion, like Cornelius, was very well 
disposed towards the Jewish religion and had built a synagogue 
for the Jews to worship. Immediately after the Sermon on the 
Mount (See Luke 7:1-10) the events of this chapter transpired. 
The centurion had a servant who was very sick. He sent, through 
a deputation of the elders of the Jews, to Jesus to come and 
heal his servant. Luke says that he sent the elders. Matthew says 



100 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

he came himself. There is no discrepancy here as people are 
said to do things in the New Testament narrative that they do 
through others. The writer only gives the leading facts and does 
not attempt to give all the minutiae. Not only does the fact that 
this heathen had built this synagogue speak volumes for his 
moral character, but the fact that he was so concerned about 
the welfare of his servant, shows him to have been a man of large 
heart and nobility of character. He had an unusual tenderness 
for his servant. Adam Clarke says: "This centurion did not act 
as many masters do when their servants are afflicted — have them 
immediately removed to an infirmary or work-house." This is a 
truth that may well bear emphasis. Had we more of this spirit 
there would not be so much trouble in the industrial situation, or 
the "servant girl question." There is something in unsanetified 
nature that makes men look down on those who are below them 
in the different grades of society. 

Luke says the Jewish elders spoke very highly of the worthi- 
ness of the centurion saying, ' ' He loveth our nation and hath built 
us a synagogue. ' ' Certainly he was a remarkable man. The Jews 
hated and even despised the Gentiles and called them dogs. And 
even more, they hated the Eoman soldiery, which was put there 
to watch them. A heathen, who could love the Jews under these 
circumstances, showed nobler qualities than even the majority of 
the Jews themselves. Jesus replied : " I will come and heal him. ' ' 
When the centurion received this word he sent another deputation 
(See Luke 7:6), declaring that he was not worthy for Jesus to 
come under his roof. He well knew that if Jesus did come under 
his roof he would defile himself in the eyes of the Jews, who so 
considered such an act. In the sense of our unworthiness we often 
show our real character. 

"Observe three estimates of the centurion's worthiness: first 
his own, not worthy, because a sinner : second the Jewish estimate, 
worthy, because he had built a Jewish synagogue, the highest en- 
comium of character which a Jewish elder could pass on a Gentile 
outcast: third, Jesus' estimate, worthy because of his faith, and 
needing no commendation from Jewish elders, but himself an 
example and a rebuke to them" (Abbott). He says: "Speak the 
word only and my servant shall be healed." What faith! He 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 101 

did not need even to have Jesus come near the siek servant. He 
did not wait to see signs and wonders as do some before they can 
believe. 

Some people think they have faith when they are a thousand 
leagues from it. A sense of great unworthiness and great faith 
may go together. There is much mock unworthiness that can not 
trust simply because there is great pride covered by a thin veil 
of professed unworthiness. Eeal humility casts itself wholly on 
the promises of God. Mock humility refuses to trust. He now 
makes an argument in his petition. "If a man like me, who com- 
mands men under him that will obey his commands, has that power 
over men, how much greater is thy power over disease and how 
easy it is for thee to bid the disease be gone." Faith is great in 
its arguments to God based on his omnipotence. God delights to 
have men come before him with scriptural arguments. That is the 
way that Moses and Abraham and the saints of old came, in their 
petitions. 

* l Jesus marvelled. ' ' There were many things that Jesus did 
on earth that show that he had a human nature as well as divine. 
He rejoiced, wept, and was tempted. Some one says that there were 
only two recorded instances where Jesus marvelled; here where he 
found faith, where it was least to be expected, in this heathen 
soldier, and while at Nazareth where he was brought up, he mar- 
velled at their unbelief (Mark 6:6). He found unbelief where he 
should have found faith. Faith and unbelief mightily moved the 
heart of Jesus. Faith is the highest act of the soul and unbelief 
is the great sin of the world, of which the Holy Ghost has come into 
the world to convict men (See John 16:9). A holy soul is very 
sensitive to its surroundings whether of faith or unbelief. Let us 
keep in mind that faith is more than intellectual perception. It 
is a moral act of the soul that throws itself on Jesus. Notice too 
that this was faith for another, not for himself. This encourages 
us to believe that God hears our prayers for others, and so far 
as he can, without compelling them against their wills, he will hear 
our prayers. We have a right to believe that God will powerfully 
convict men, if we earnestly pray; for he can convict them against 
their wills. He can not however convert them against their wills. 



102 COMMENTAKY ON THE GOSPEL 

Jesus said he had not found so great faith, even in Israel. Some- 
times outsiders put to shame those who are in the church. 

Here is an instance where the Bible teaches that honest heathen 
will be saved. This man and Cornelius were good samples or illus- 
trations of the truth that Peter uttered at the house of Cornelius, 
"In every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness 
is accepted of him" (Acts 10:35). "Many shall come from the 
East and from the West and shall sit down with Abraham and 
Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ' ' Many of the heathen 
who have lived up to their light will stand a better chance than the 
favored members of the church who have not lived up to their light. 
It means that a man may be a member of the church and yet go 
to hell. Some people think today that church membership will take 
them to heaven. But those who have not on the wedding garment 
of holiness will be "cast out into outer darkness where there 
shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth." Weeping 
denotes sorrow. Gnashing of the teeth denotes rage. We are told 
somewhere that the privileges of the church are "peculiar incite- 
ments to holiness from the hearing of God 's word. ' ' If that be 
true and we do not get that holiness without which no man shall see 
the Lord we would stand a better chance if we had been born in 
a heathen land. 

1 ' As thou hast believed be it unto thee, ' ' said Jesus. The same 
is true today. We shall be saved up to and according to our faith. 
The miracles of healing seem to have been mostly in the earlier 
part of Jesus' ministry. Little is said about them in the latter 
part of his ministry with the exception of the healing of the 
ear of the servant of the high priest in the garden of Gethsemane 
after Jesus' arrest. The miracles were intended to call attention 
to the deep spiritual truths which came later and which took up the 
most of his attention, in the latter part of his ministry. The 
miracles were intended to call attention to and show his divinity. 
After that he led his disciples on to deeper truths. How pleased 
Jesus was at this man's faith. 

JESUS, THE HEALEE. Vs. 14-17. 
14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his 
wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 103 

15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her : and she 
arose, and ministered unto them. 

16 When the even was come, they Drought unto him many that 
were possessed with devils : and he cast out the spirits with his 
word, and healed all that were sick : 

17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the 
prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. 

We can not help noticing how Jesus went about doing good. 
That is the characteristic of the holy for they are like Jesus. 
His miracles were not merely to show his power but to benefit 
some one. We are apt to say that Jesus died for mankind and 
that is all true, and furthermore had it not been for his death 
there had been no salvation for us. But he also lived for man- 
kind. His thirty-three years on earth were a part of his conse- 
cration for the good of humanity. He does not ask us to die to 
atone for man for we are not worthy but he does ask us to live to 
do them good. He tried to help the sick. And he has made it our 
duty to visit them. The awards of the last day will be admin : 
istered with this, as one of the tests, that we have visited his 
disciples, when sick, in his name (See Matt. 25:36). Do you visit 
the sick brethren of Jesus? 

The country about Capernaum is low and marshy and malarial 
fevers are prevalent even today. Here we learn that Peter 's wife 's 
mother lay sick of a fever. "Jesus' came to Peter's house and 
saw there what would have surprised a Roman Catholic in these 
days, ' Peter's wife's mother': and if Peter had been living in 
modern days, he must have presented a relation which would have 
made him be instantly cast out of the church: for Peter it ap- 
pears from this must have been a married man, — 'his wife's 
mother. ' And therefore a bishop may be the husband of one wife ; 
marriage may be and is honorable in all men, minister or lay- 
man; and certainly if the first pope (so assumed to be), was mar- 
ried, the last pope need not hesitate to imitate his example. If 
this was apostolic practice there seems to be a lack of apostolic 
succession in the want of that practice on the part of the modern 
church of Rome" (Cumming). We also read in 1 Cor. 9:5 that 
Peter's wife was accustomed to accompany him in his journeys. 
Jesus was asked to heal her (See Mark 1:30). He immediately 
took her by the hand and raised her up (Mark 1:31) and im- 



104 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

mediately the fever left her. Luke says it was a great fever. 
Luke was a physician and hence this is a description of severe 
sickness. Such fevers leave the patient much debilitated and it 
usually takes a long time to recover the strength, but she re- 
ceived her strength immediately so that she could exercise the usual 
duties of hospitality in taking care of her guests. This shows the 
completeness of the miracle. 

It will be seen by verse 16 that he healed a great many here. 
Mark says ' ' the whole city gathered about the door. ' ' We notice 
that it would have been impossible to relate the particulars of all 
the cases of healing. But we believe those miracles that illustrate 
soul healing are the only ones mentioned, to show us that his 
miracles of physical healing were symbolical of what he can do for 
the soul. He cured her instantly just as he does the disease of sin. 
She rose and ministered to him at once just as a fully saved soul 
today will do. 

In all this the writer sees the fulfillment of the prophecy of 
Isaiah, "Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses" 
(Isa. 53:4-5). Just as he took upon his great heart the sins of the 
world — not that he took them in the sense of being a sinner — but 
his heart of compassion took them as a loving burden. So he 
took upon him the sicknesses of mankind. He did not take them 
in the sense of being sick with them but he sympathized with suf- 
fering humanity, for sickness is the result of sin. 

While on earth he cured many of the sick. Probably not all 
for he only cured when people had faith to trust him. And we 
believe today that when we have the right kind — the divinely in- 
spired faith — he still cures sickness. It was and it still is a 
sympathetic bearing of the sorrows and sufferings of humanity. 
There is nothing that affects his people that does not draw out his 
sympathy. 

HOLINESS NEVEE COMPEOMISES. Vs. 18-22. 

18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave 
commandment to depart unto the other side. 

19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will 
follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 

20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 105 

birds of the air have nests ; but the Son of man hath not where to 
lay his head. 

21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me 
first to go and bury my father. 

22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me ; and let the dead ibury 
their dead. 

Jesus now had become quite popular and crowds attended him. 
' ' Great multitudes were all about him. So he took ship to go 
to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. ' ' The unprejudiced heart 
will certainly admit the claims of Jesus and that holiness which 
he came to establish. So when they see them both at first, they will 
acknowledge their claims. But when they find it means the pluck- 
ing out of a right eye or the cutting off of a right hand then 
many forsake him and his cause. It has always been so. It has 
been asked how would you treat him if he were on earth today? 
Probably the same way your class did while he was here. The 
same classes are in the world today. Human nature is the same in 
all ages. For a time, he and holiness are popular. No man who is 
candid can deny it. But when the test comes. The multitude that 
cry one day ' ' Hosanna ' ' will the next day cry ' ' Crucify him. ' ' 
Holiness of the right kind will never be any more popular than 
was Jesus. 

A certain scribe thrust himself in on Jesus (we think im- 
pertinently) as he had withdrawn from the crowd for rest and 
said, ' ' Master I will follow thee wheresoever thou goest. ' ' Some 
people talk the same way today. And those who want to make 
holiness easy and also religion in general, will tone down and 
let down the conditions. Here is a temptation. We hear peo- 
ple tell about preaching holiness in such a way as to awaken 
no opposition. Perhaps they do, but it is not the holiness of the 
Bible that is after the carnal mind to destroy it, which the carnal 
mind always resents. Jesus was a very discouraging preacher to 
the half hearted seeker and so are genuine holiness preachers to- 
day. The reason Jesus was so apparently discouraging was, he 
did not want to be followed by a cheap crowd. So he told the 
scribe of his poverty and privations. He had no home of his 
own and no money. And he got rid of him. The scribe was a great 
addition to his company, if he had got him. Many a preacher 
would have let down the standard to take in this great man. 



106 COMMENTAKY ON THE GOSPEL 

It is better to lay the conditions down exactly as they are than 
to have a great revival that means a great slump in a few weeks. 
Let us imitate the Master. What a life of humility the King of 
Heaven submitted to that you and I might have eternal riches. 
He calls himself here "the Son of man." He was the typical 
man; just as God wants man to be — holy. He left a throne that 
we might sit upon a throne. Another disciple said : ' ' Lord let 
me first go and bury my father. ' ' Tradition says this was Philip. 
There was a higher duty even than burying the dead that was 
thrust upon his disciples at this time. The dead in trespasses and 
sin could bury the physically dead. This was a play upon the 
word "dead," using it in a double sense. Other relatives that 
could not preach could do all this. Our Lord probably saw in 
this man some thing of worldliness that led him to offer this as 
an excuse. And if he had gone to bury his father he would 
probably have never returned. 

HOLINESS ABHOES UNBELIEF. Vs. 23-27. 

23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed 
him. 

24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, inso- 
much that the ship was covered with the waves : but he was asleep. 

25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, 
save us : we perish. 

26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little 
faith ? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea ; and there 
was a great calm. 

27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, 
that even the winds and the sea obey him ! 

Having given us the miracles of the healing of the leper, the 
centurion 's servant and Peter 's wife 's mother, Matthew now gives 
the account of the stilling of the storm on the Sea of Galilee, to 
show that Jesus is Lord of nature. Jesus and his disciples had 
taken a small boat (not a ship as the common translation has it), 
and embarked on the sea in order to avoid the multitudes that 
thronged him. The Sea of Galilee on account of its peculiar lo- 
cation among the hills is subject to wind squalls of great fury. 
Jesus was so thoroughly tired from his constant ministering to 
the multitudes, that when one of these sudden squalls- arose he 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 107 

slept on, regardless of the storm. It shows that he had the same 
human nature as we, that was subject to weariness. In their fright 
the disciples come and wake him. He arises from the cushion 
(not pillow. See Eev. Ver.) on which he had been sleeping as 
they cry to him in their terror. By a comparison with Mark and 
Luke and John it will be seen that their reported words are not 
the same. Matthew gives it, ' ' Lord save us : we perish. ' ' Mark 
has it, ' ' Master carest thou not that we perish, ' ' while Luke says, 
' ' Master, Master we perish. ' ' There is no discrepancy here. Each 
one doubtless had something to say and they all spoke at once 
and reported what they individually said in the excitement of the 
moment. "We behold in him exactly the reverse of Jonah: the 
fugitive prophet asleep in the midst of danger out of a dead con- 
science, the Savior out of a pure conscience : Jonah by his presence 
making the danger, Jesus yielding the pledge and the assurance 
of deliverance from the danger" (Trench). He rises and rebukes 
the wind and the sea and immediately a great calm ensues. Usually 
the sea will roll for days or at least, many hours, after a great 
hurricane. But here it subsided immediately, showing that the winds 
did not merely cease as would be the case from natural causes. 
So sudden was the cessation of wind and wave that it is called 
"a great calm." He rebuked the disciples before he rebuked the 
sea, because of their little faith. Jesus was always looking for 
faith. When he found it, he always commended it and in like 
manner rebuked the want of it. Does he not feel the same today 
towards faith and unbelief? An unbeliever is, to say the least, a 
chilly person, to one who believes God. It it like getting in the 
region of an iceberg. We see too that they did not expect him to 
quell the storm for they say in astonishment, "What manner of 
man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?" They 
seem to wake him because they are tired at his seeming indifference, 
when the boat is filling with water. This little scene is a picture 
of human life, whose sea we are on, seeking the other shore. 
We may have Jesus with us and yet have trials, difficulties, persecu- 
tions and temptations. It is no mark of sin to have these ad- 
verse circumstances. We may think sometimes that he is not in- 
terested in us and our condition, and be tempted to think bitter 
things against the Lord, as if he had forgotten us. We may even 



108 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

be so betrayed in our fears as to think that the cause of God 
and holiness are irretrievably lost and that sin is to have full sway 
and sweep all goodness away. He still says, ll O ye of little faith. ' ' 
We may not always get the help, at the time we expect according 
to our notions, but he wants us to trust him, no matter what the 
storm or however adverse the circumstances, even if he seems to be 
absent or seems to be sleeping. It is a lesson of trust. This 
miracle is a parable of life. Let us not displease him by our 
doubts or fears. Holiness and doubt are as wide apart as the 
poles. 

HOLINESS IS UNAPPRECIATED BY THE VERY PEOPLE 
IT HAS COME TO BLESS. Vs. 28-34. 

28 And when lie was come to the other side into the country of 
the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming 
out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by 
that way. 

29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with 
thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us 
before the time? 

30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many 
swine feeding. 

31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer 
us to go away into the herd of swine. 

32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, 
they went into the herd of swine : and, behold, the whole herd of 
swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in 
the waters. 

33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the 
city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of 
the devils. 

34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus : and 
when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of 
their coasts. 

Having shown us the mighty power of Jesus over sickness and 
the powers of nature, Matthew now shows us his authority over 
even a stronger power than nature — even devils, with all their 
malignity against the holy Son of God and his cause. He beholds 
a more fearful sight than even the storm at sea. A man in whom 
were many devils met them. 

People in this day say, "Do you believe that men were possessed 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 109 

of devils in the time of Jesus?" Why not? they have been in 
men since that time, and there are men possessed of devils even 
today. Satan is a great imitator. He always seeks to duplicate 
the work of God. When Moses threw down his rod, the magicians 
threw down theirs also, and the devil had power to turn them 
into serpents. When Jesus came incarnate to this world, the devils 
came also to live in men. When the Holy Spirit came to dwell 
in men, Satan invented spiritualism. When the doctrine of salva- 
tion by faith, and healing by faith began to be made prominent, 
along came ' ' Christian Science, ' ' stealing its name from the very 
Christianity whose fundamental principles it opposes, while it mag- 
nifies a so called faith. 

When Jesus and the disciples had landed on the other shore 
they met immediately two men possessed with devils, who were a 
good illustration of sin and sinners in several respects. 1. Sin 
brings men into strange places. These men lived in tombs among 
the dead. The prodigal went to live among swine. 2. They were 
exceeding fierce. Sin makes men's dispositions like those of 
wild beasts. 3. Mark says of one of them, (for Mark only 
speaks of one — Mark 5:1-9 — probably because he was very violent 
and the other not so marked in his fierceness) that he was con- 
tinually crying and cutting himself with stones. Sin is self de- 
structive. But the devil with all his power is not so powerful as 
Jesus, and can not keep men from Jesus. The devils cried out, 
"What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God?" They 
acknowledged his deity and at the same time told a tremendous 
truth that Jesus and the devil have nothing in common; that 
there is a marked opposition between them. "Art thou come 
hither to torment us before our time?" They feared Jesus and 
feared he was going to punish them before their time of eternal 
torment begins (See Jude 6; Eev. 20:10). The holy are a torment 
to those who love sin. This is the reason there is so much oppo- 
sition to holiness. It seems by this that the devils are expecting 
to be tormented. 

We learn from this that hell is an awful place, when even the 
devils had rather go and live in swine than to go home. "They 
that fed the swine fled. " As it was unlawful for the Jews to eat 
pork, these Jews, who were keeping swine, were in unlawful busi- 



110 COMMENTAKY ON THE GOSPEL 

ness for the purpose of gain. When the swine herds had told their 
story, the whole city came out to meet Jesus and see what was 
done. Any one would suppose that they would have been real 
anxious to have him stay with them, but no, "they besought him 
to depart out of their coasts." 

Prayer is the real desire of the soul, and the Lord is very 
careful to answer prayers according to our real desires. He an- 
swered even the prayers of devils. He answered the prayers of 
those who did not wish him to stay in their country. He is very 
accommodating. If people ask him not to come to them, he will 
stay away. If we ask him to excuse us from holiness of heart, 
he will grant it. But it will be a sad thing for us. If we keep 
making excuses he will take us at our request and excuse us. 
If those, who are constantly making excuses for not seeking all 
that God has for them, are not careful he will take them at their 
word and excuse them. It is a sad thing sometimes to be answered 
just the way we feel down in our hearts. Jesus came to do these 
people good but they would not allow it. He broke up their unlaw- 
ful business and they were angry about it. Men do not want Jesus 
and his holiness because it drives out swinishness and all other 
evils. He came to do them good and they resented it. And 
so it is with the holiness which he came to establish on earth. 
Men do not appreciate it and often want to ged rid of it. Truly 
"the carnal mind is enmity against God." These people cared 
more about swine than they did about Jesus. It is ever thus 
with the carnal mind. When men are debarred from a holy heaven, 
it will only be the echo of their own excuses which they have made 
against having that holiness which will fit them for heaven. 



CHAPTER IX. 

HOLINESS IS UNIVERSALLY BENEVOLENT TO ALL 
CLASSES. 

The Condition of the Heart is of More Importance than the Con- 
dition of the Body. Vs. 1-8. Holiness Seeks to Save Sinners 
of Every Grade. Vs. 9-13. Holiness is the joyousness of a 
Wedding Feast. Vs. 14-17. Those Who Have Been Made 
Whole Should Confess it. Vs. 18-22. Holiness is Genuinely 
Compassionate Towards the Sorrowing and Afflicted. Vs. 
23-38. 

THE CONDITION OF THE HEAET IS OF MOKE CONSE- 
QUENCE THAN THE CONDITION OF THE BODY. 

Vs. 1-8. 

1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into 
his own city. 

2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, 
lying on a bed : and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of 
the palsy ; Son, be of good cheer ; thy sins be forgiven thee. 

3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This 
man blasphemeth. 

4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think 
ye evil in your hearts? 

5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee ; or to 
say, Arise, and walk? 

6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on 
earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, 
take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 

7 And he arose, and departed to his house. 

8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified 
God, which has given such power unto men. 

The scene of this incident was at Capernaum. This was the 
dwelling place of Jesus after he left Nazareth (See Ch. 4:13). 
Here he performed several other miracles. There are five which 

111 



112 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

Matthew mentions here, as specimens of his power and as illustrat- 
ing his mission. Notwithstanding the mighty works which he did 
here, the people generally refused to acknowledge the truth which 
he spoke to them. He therefore pronounced upon this place an 
awful judgment (See Matt. 11:23). This healing of the paralytic 
was one of the mighty works of which he speaks in thus pronounc- 
ing judgment on this city, that had received so much light. 

On a certain day it was noised abroad throughout the city, 
that he was in a certain house and the multitudes came thronging 
the house and crowding about the door. This shows that he was 
very popular at this time, with the common people. And right 
at this time the opposition to him began. Every genuine revival 
will be opposed by the wicked, in the professed church as well as 
out of it. The most spiritual work in every age has had its 
greatest enemies among those who professed to be the Lord's peo- 
ple — the ecclesiastics. This may seem severe, but to deny it is to 
show ignorance of history. His popularity begat jealousy among 
the scribes and Pharisees. It was this that finally brought him to 
his death. So as Luke tells us (Luke 5:17) the Pharisees and 
doctors of the law were there. Holiness has always had its worst 
enemies in every age among the Pharisees and doctors of the law, 
and other ecclesiastics. They have been jealous of anything that 
would take from them their influence and leadership with the 
people. 

As he was preaching, there came four men, bringing a man sick 
of the palsy, to have him healed. Whether it was the intense de- 
sire of the man alone, who urged them, or whether they were 
very anxious, being warm friends of the paralytic, we do not 
know. But they were desperately in earnest, to have him healed. 
So much so that they took off the roof since they could not get at 
him by the door, and let him down before Jesus. Luke says they 
let him down through the tiling. They showed their faith by over- 
coming the difficulties, as much as lay in their power. This is a 
good test of faith — the difficulties which we overcome to bring 
our friends to Christ. It teaches us too that Jesus honors the 
faith of those who take pains to bring their friends to him. 
Does he see in us faith for our friends? faith for those who have 
the paralysis of sin which is much worse than that of the body? 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 113 

Sinners are hopeless and helpless unless we can get them to 
Christ and let him heal them. Do we really believe that? If so 
what anxiety, what pains we will take to get them to Jesus. When 
Jesus saw the man, he said to him, ' ' Son be of good cheer. ' ' The 
next clause tells us why he was to be of good cheer, because "thy 
sins be forgiven thee. ' ' This same voice in the soul has made tens 
of thousands "be of good cheer, ' ' all down through the ages since. 
The man who does not understand why such people are of good 
cheer is a stranger himself to pardoning grace. It means that 
the guilt which dooms a soul to hell has been removed and there 
is now no more condemnation against him in the court of heaven. 

Let it be known here, that men were forgiven before Pentecost. 
How absurd the idea that the disciples were not forgiven until 
Pentecost, when that was the work Jesus was engaged in all the 
time, he was with them — three years. 

Some people imagine we must have a creed and believe in it in 
order to be saved. But this man had only faith that Jesus could 
heal him. If there was no salvation possible except through believ- 
ing a creed, it would be impossible to reach many of the people 
of this great earth. Faith that brings salvation is faith in a 
personal Christ. We are not here casting any reflection on creeds. 
They are proper in their place. This man was pronounced forgiven 
and healed before he or his friends could offer a prayer with 
their lips. His friends were still on the roof. Jesus saw in the 
man's heart the real attitude of penitence for his sins and faith 
for their forgiveness. Prayer is the real desire of the soul. This 
man had it and Jesus recognized it. Salvation from our sins 
then is an instantaneous work of God. 

Some of the scribes present began at once to find fault. It 
shows that this was why they came. Any one who could find 
fault at this, was capable of finding fault at anything. Do we ex- 
pect that we can escape the censure of the Scribes and Pharisees 
of our day. If we do, we put ourselves above Jesus. There are 
many professed followers of Jesus today who will attack the most 
sacred things. Holiness has an easier time today than it had 
in the time of Jesus. 

With that penetration which enabled him then and enables him 
now to see the very inmost thoughts of the heart, which is as an 



114 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

open book before him, he said, ''Wherefore think ye evil in your 
hearts." It was not honest criticism, for they thought evil. The 
opposition to the truth in all ages has not been the opposition 
of real doubt and perplexity about understanding but it has been 
a malignant spirit against the truth. This is the reason so many 
are always misunderstanding and misrepresenting holiness. They 
think evil against it. 

He asked them whether it was easier to say, "Thy sins be 
forgiven thee," or to say "take up thy bed and walk." He did 
not mean the mere pronunciation of these words but that the 
claim to forgive is easier to make than the claim to heal the body. 
No one can see God's book of debit and credit, or the man's 
heart. So that Jesus could claim he had forgiven the man's sins 
and there was nothing to show to the contrary. But when he 
said, "arise take up thy bed and walk" and the man did it, 
then they knew it was true, that he had healed him. And if he 
could heal him, then he was divine and could forgive him also. 
The miracle of the healing proved the miracle of the forgiveness. 
Catholic priests claim that they have the power to pronounce men 
forgiven of their sins, but who knows it to be true? Where is 
the proof? If they could cure the people of their sickness at the 
same time then they would have some claim on the belief of the 
people that they could also forgive. So Jesus says, ' ' That ye may 
know that The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, 
(Then saith he to the sick of the palsy) Arise, take up thy bed 
and go unto thine house. ' ' The walking of the man proved his 
forgiveness. It was a double work. This man was forgiven his sins 
as soon as Christ spoke, but the evidence of it was not given 
to the others until he walked. 

When the man put forth his will power to obey Jesus then he 
was healed. It is true today that if we will to be saved, God will 
supply the power to save us. He helps us when we have honestly 
done our part. And when he sees us so anxious to get rid of 
sin that we are willing to put it away, he takes away what we 
honestly put away. 

A great lesson here is that Jesus made more account of the 
spiritual part of the miracle than of the physical. He was think- 
ing more of the forgiveness of sins than of the healing of the body. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 115 

The false notions of healing that are abroad in the world, make 
more of the physical than of the spiritual. But the physical is 
only secondary and of minor importance in comparison with the 
spiritual. Any one who claims to be able to heal the body can 
get a crowd, but they who seek to bring men to the great physician 
for salvation have difficulty in getting the ear of the people. Heal- 
ing of the body is all right in its place but it is very difficult to 
give much attention to it without minifying soul healing which is 
the greater work. A man can get to heaven even if he be sick 
all his life and die with a diseased body, but not if he die with 
a sin wrecked soul. Let us not minify physical healing either, but 
put it in its proper place. 

HOLINESS SEEKS TO SAVE SINNERS OF ALL GRADES. 

Vs. 9-13. 

9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named 
Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom : and he saith unto him, 
Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. 

10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, 
behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and 
his disciples. 

11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, 
Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 

12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be 
whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 

13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, 
and not sacrifice : for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners 
to repentance. 

It is at this point that Christ calls one from the lowest class 
of society, evidently to show that he cares nothing for the class 
distinctions and prejudices which govern men. He calls Matthew 
to be a disciple and the writer of this Gospel. Notice how modestly 
Matthew mentions it thus, ' ' He saw a man named Matthew, sitting 
at the receipt of custom." Matthew was a publican, or tax 
gatherer, and was employed in the business of collecting the cus- 
toms or taxes which the Jews were obliged to pay to the Roman 
government on all important and exported goods, as well as most 
everything else. The Jews considered that they were degraded in 
having to pay this tax, and consequently any one who was a 



116 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

tax gatherer was peculiarly obnoxious to them. The Roman 
government farmed out, or let this business, to certain individuals 
who in turn sublet it to others. These tax collectors or publicans 
were obliged to pay those from whom they leased their collector- 
ship a certain sum of money. So they contrived in every way to 
add to the taxes by all manner of excuses, extortions and false 
accusation. They stripped the Jewish farmers of about everything 
they had. These publicans, as might naturally be expected, became 
very rich by this extortion. So odious and past redemption were 
they considered by the Jews that The Talmud (the body of the 
Jewish civil law) classes them with thieves and robbers and re- 
gards their repentance as impossible. From this low class Jesus 
called Matthew to be a disciple, and he became also an inspired 
writer. Jesus taught by this, that no man is beyond redemption. 
In Mark and Luke, he is called Levi. Doubtless he changed his 
name after he met Christ, just as Saul changed his name to 
Paul after his conversion. 

The same Jesus who did not hesitate to touch the leper which 
seemed to be contrary to the law, in order to cure him, did not 
hesitate to call the wicked publican to repentance. Matthew, or 
Levi, was so rejoiced in his new experience that like all new con- 
verts he wanted his associates to find the same Christ. So he made 
a feast and called the other publicans to come and meet Jesus. 
This, with the Jews, was even worse than merely preaching to the 
publicans. Had Jesus only preached, they would not have found 
much fault, but by eating with them, he associated with them and 
so the Pharisees asked the disciples (They did not dare to speak 
to Jesus himself about it), "Why eateth your master with publi- 
cans and sinners V They did not say why does he preach to them, 
but why does he associate with them. True holiness is never 
afraid to associate with sinners in order (not to approve of their 
course) but to save them. This is the only way we can ever 
reach the slum classes. If we are afraid to associate with them 
we will fail to reach them. Missions among the lower classes fail 
when the missionary lives in upper tendom, instead of among 
them. There is a right and a wrong way to associate with sinners. 
Paul said that he "became all things to all men if by any means 
he might save some. ' ' Jesus never refused an invitation to mingle 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 117 

socially with sinners. We have seen some of the worst sinners 
won by holy people who were not afraid to go down to them to 
save them, and who were thus enabled to lead them to the cross. 
The publicans were bad, and that made it all the more neces- 
sary that they have a Savior and so Jesus replies to the Pharisees, 
"They that be whole need no physician but they that are sick." 
Then he says, ' ' But go ye and learn what that meaneth. ' ' This was 
a favorite saying, when the Scribes and Pharisees wished to refer 
people to the Scriptures. He here gives them some of their own 
medicine as he quotes Hosea 6:6, "I will have mercy and not 
sacrifice. " If they accused him of being too lenient and compro- 
mising in going among sinners they at the same time accused the 
Heavenly Father who in Hosea 6:6 and in many other places, had 
said the same thing virtually. He wished them to understand that 
all religion both of the Old and New Testaments was full of 
mercy to all penitents of every grade of sin. One of the opposers 
of Christianity in one of the early centuries, made this charge 
that Jesus came to call sinners of the worst classes about him. 
The reply of the Christians of that day was that it was true. 
He did come to call sinners, but he came to call them to repentance. 
He came to call them to be good men and forsake their sins. 

HOLINESS IS THE JOYOUSNESS OF A WEDDING FEAST. 
Vs. 14-17. 

14 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do 
we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 

15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride- 
chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the 
days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and 
then shall they fast. 

16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, 
for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and 
the rent is made worse. 

17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles : else the bottles 
break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish ; but they 
put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. 

Another class of people were mystified by the conduct of Jesus. 
These were the disciples of John the Baptist. Their master was 
now languishing in prison and naturally they were full of sorrow 



118 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

and also perplexed that God should have allowed his enemies to 
sieze their master. And seeing Jesus eating and drinking while 
they were in sadness and fasting was to them unexplainable. So 
they asked him, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft while 
thy disciples fast not?" It was true that the Pharisees fasted 
a great deal. They were only required in the law to fast once 
a year, on the Day of Atonement. But they had prescribed very 
many fasts of their own appointment. There were several national 
fasts and some of the stricter Pharisees fasted the fifth and second 
days of the week. 

Jesus never prescribed any set fasts and the New Testament 
church never set apart any special days for fasting. When it 
was done it was always with the individual a matter of his own 
private observance. Jesus gives them light on their perplexity, by 
saying, "Can the children of the bride chamber mourn as long 
as the bridegroom is with them ? ' ' He means that " he is the bride- 
groom and his church is the bride. His preachers and teachers 
are the children of the bride chamber who are bringing him and 
his church together, by getting men saved. The whole time be- 
tween his public ministry and his second advent is the wedding 
feast, during which the children of the bridechamber are bring- 
ing their Lord to the bride. The marriage supper of the Lamb 
in the heavenly kingdom is the final consummation of the wedding 
ceremony." (Abbott.) Those who are pure in heart: who have 
on the wedding garment of holiness and are seeking to increase 
the number of the saved are those who have the fulness of joy, 
of which Jesus speaks (John 15:11). This experience which his 
sanctified people have now, is not a funeral occasion. It is the 
joy of the wedding feast. Fasting is for those who do not have 
him with them. Fasting is for those, who have lost the presence 
of the Master in their hearts. Let such people fast until their joy 
is restored, but not those who have it. 

Fasting is only for those who are really sorrowful of heart. 
To fast when we have no sorrow is only hypocrisy. When we have 
deep sorrow, abstinence of food is a natural consequence. There 
is no virtue in a self-inflicted sorrow. Alford says, "Fasting 
should be the genuine offspring of inward and spiritual sorrow, of 
the sense of the absence of the Bridegroom in the soul — not the 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 119 

forced and stated fasts of the Old covenant now passed away." 
Jesus then goes on still further in his explanation to tell 
them that his new religion of love and heart holiness can not be 
patched onto the old religious forms of the Old Dispensation any 
more than a man can put a patch of unfinished material upon an 
old garment. "The new patch, undressed by the fuller, and 
moist, will shrink and rend the old worn garment 's cloth. ' ' Jesus 
did not believe in a patched up, old nature, but in a religion that 
gives a new nature. All reformation that does not go on this basis 
is a failure. 

He then gives another illustration drawn from the custom of 
keeping their wine in bottles made of the skins of animals. Just 
as the fermenting wine would destroy an old stiff and hardened 
wine skin so will the joyous, vigorous gospel upset the old stiff 
forms of the past. This means no set fasting, but the expression 
of the saved heart must be natural and unhindered. "To confine 
new truth to old forms only results in shattering the old." 

THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN MADE WHOLE SHOULD CON 
FESS IT. Vs. 13-22. 

18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a 
certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now 
dead : but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 

19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. 

20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of 
blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his 
garment : 

21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, 
I shall be whole. 

22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, 
Daughter, be of good comfort ; thy faith hath made thee whole. And 
the woman was made whole from that hour. 

While Jesus was yet speaking a ruler of the synagogue, prob- 
ably at Capernaum where he was speaking, came to him and pros- 
trating himself before him said, "My daughter is even now dead, 
but come and lay thine hand upon her and she shall live." Mark 
says the father had already told him of her sickness and he was 
about to go to the house and this was the second summons. 

As Jesus was going, accompanied by his disciples and a great 



120 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

crowd, he stopped to heal an unfortunate woman who had been 
grievously afflicted for twelve years with what was considered 
an incurable disease. He stopped to do good everywhere he went. 
"On his way to perform one act of love he turned aside to give 
attention to another. The practical lesson is this: there are many 
who are so absorbed in one set of duties as to have no time for 
others; some whose life business is the suppression of the slave 
trade — the amelioration of the state of prisons — the reformation 
of abuses. Eight except so far as they are monopolized by these, 
and feel themselves discharged from other obligations. The min- 
ister's work is spiritual: the physician's temporal. But if the 
former neglect physical needs or the latter shrink from spiritual 
opportunities on the plea that the care of bodies, not of souls is 
his work, so far they refuse to imitate their Master." (Eob- 
ertson.) 

Jesus was ever ready while on earth to do for humanity wher- 
ever he knew their needs. And the man who is holiest is like his 
Master, doing good where he finds opportunity. There is nothing 
like full salvation to make an "all around man." Holiness is as 
much misunderstood now as it was in the time of Christ. Those 
who know nothing about its workings, or are too careless to in- 
quire, or too prejudiced to give it credit, have asserted that it 
means one-sided development — a specialism that neglects the most 
important and practical duties. But the holy man or church is 
just the reverse. Such a man or church will be found abundant 
in good deeds to the poor and unfortunate, zealous for foreign 
and home missions, straight on the Temperance and Prohibition 
question, always on hand at the revival meeting, and ever anxious 
to lead sinners to Christ. Any denial of this is either made in 
ignorance or prejudice, or both. Facts can be brought to sub- 
stantiate this. Every holy man, like Jesus, has a heart of sympathy 
for the sad, sorrowing world all about him. It is a consolation 
to us to know that Jesus is just as sympathizing today as He 
was when on earth. 

This woman was like the sinner who tries to find earthly cure 
for sin. She had tried all kinds of doctors and had suffered many 
things of them. A good deal of the doctoring of that day, and 
perhaps some of today, makes the patient worse. The sinner who 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 121 

has tried Drs. Morality, Reformation, Good Works, Evolution and 
the like, has fared as did this woman. As she saw Jesus going 
by she thought " if I can only touch his garment I shall be whole. ' ' 
So, as the multitude were thronging him, she touched the hem of 
his garment. The hem of the garment had a religious significance. 
The Jews were required by law to have the borders of the garments 
made with a fringe on which was a ribbon of blue to keep them 
in constant remembrance of God's law. (See Numbers 15:37-40.) 
She seemed to think he was surcharged with divine power like a 
person full of electricity, and that this fringe of the garment had 
an especial sanctity. Jesus dressed like the rest of the Jews evi- 
dently. He did not rebuke this woman's superstitious faith but 
honored it. This teaches a great lesson, viz. : that we ought to 
be very charitable towards the ignorant and superstitious, if they 
have any, faith in Christ at all, even though it be mixed with error. 
Better the superstitious faith of the ignorant than the cold unbe- 
lief that attempts to explain away the supernatural entirely. It 
shows how lenient Jesus is towards those with blind faith in Him. 
He healed her immediately. He saw her heart all the time and 
saw the movement of faith unseen by the eyes of the crowd. The 
healing power did not go out of him unconsciously. "Who 
touched my clothes?" the Master asked. The disciples tell him 
that everybody is thronging him and it is useless to ask who touched 
him. This was not true. There were many who thronged him 
but only one who definitely put forth the finger and touched him. 
Is this not often true today? In the great assemblies where many 
take part in the singing, and even in the outward forms of prayer, 
there are often only a few who really touch him and get healing 
power in their souls. There are frequently great assemblies, with 
crowds going through the motions and only a few really saved! 

Mark says, "The woman, fearing and trembling, knowing 
what was done in her, came and fell down and told him all the 
truth." She knew instantly that she was healed. Jesus still 
does cures so marked that the subject knows that he is cured 
immediately. He did not ask her to come and confess as if he 
did not know who touched him. Some people object to a con- 
fession and coming to an altar in public. They make all sorts 
of excuses against it. But Jesus made an altar of confession 



122 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

right here; and he did in many other instances. God says, ''Ye 
are my witnesses. " " With the heart man believeth unto right- 
eousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ' ' 
He says that if we confess him before men He will confess us be- 
fore his Father and the holy angels. And if we deny him be- 
fore men He will deny us before his Father and the holy angels. 
Those people who make excuses against confessing what Christ has 
done for them are unscriptural and disobedient. 

1 ' And he said Daughter, be of good comfort. ' ' The saved per- 
son who testifies to the power of God to save, from a real desire 
to glorify him, will find a wonderful comfort imparted by the 
Spirit of God. This is the reward given by Him who says, ' ' Them 
that honor me will I honor. ' ' But this is not all. He gives her 
more light and makes her more intelligent. He says, ' ' Thy faith 
hath made thee whole." He shows her that it was not the hem 
of the garment that cured her, but it was her faith. As sure as 
we have a sincere faith and a clear testimony we will find we are 
in his school and he will add to our faith, light, knowledge and 
experience. ' ' Be whole of thy plague. ' ' He assures her that the 
cure was permanent. This is an illustration of the fact that 
' ' Christ will have himself openly confessed and not secretly sought : 
that our Christian life is not as it is sometimes called, merely a 
thing between ourselves and God: but a 'good confession to be 
witnessed' before all people" (Alford). 

HOLINESS IS GENUINELY COMPASSIONATE TOWAEDS 
THE SOEEOWING AND AFFLICTED. Vs. 23-38. 

23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the 
minstrels and the people making a noise, 

24 He said unto them, Give place : for the maid is not dead, 
but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 

25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took 
her by the hand, and the maid arose. 

26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land. 

27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed 
him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. 

28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to 
him : and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do 
this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 123 

29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith 
be it unto you. 

30 And their eyes were opened : and Jesus straitly charged them, 
saying, See that no man know it. 

31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame 
in all that country. 

32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man 
possessed with a devil. 

33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake : and the 
multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 

34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the 
prince of the devils. 

35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching 
in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and 
healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 

36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with com- 
passion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as 
sheep having no shepherd. 

37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plen- 
teous, but the labourers are few ; 

38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send 
forth labourers into his harvest. 

Jesus now continued on his way to the house of Jairus the ruler. 
Had Jairus had no trouble he would hardly have sent to Jesus. 
It is strange, but true, that men will often refuse to come to Jesus 
until some great trouble comes upon them. This is one of the 
blessings that come out of sorrow. It leads us to God. It leads 
us to see how weak we are and helpless in the great emergencies 
of life. We prosper best some one says, w T hen we have just enough 
trouble to keep us on our knees a good deal of the time. 

When they arrived at the house they found the people and the 
minstrels making a great noise, according to the custom of the 
day. This was something like the custom of "wakes" in some 
parts of Ireland today. He told them that she was not dead but 
asleep. He meant to show them that death is not to be regarded 
as of any more account than sleep, which in some respects it re- 
sembles. Why should we be so afraid of death when the Master 
regarded it as nothing of any more consequence than sleep. This 
was his way of bidding us not fear, for the girl was really dead, 
for Luke says (Luke 8:55) that when he took her by the hand 
"her spirit came again." 

"They laughed him to scorn." He put out of the room all 



124 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

but the father and mother, and Peter, James and John. (See ac- 
count in Luke 8:51.) These three disciples were with him on the 
important occasions of his life. Some of the commentators think 
the others were put out because he did not wish the faith of the 
people to rest on his miracle. But it seems to us he put out the 
hired mourners, who had laughed and scorned him, as he wanted 
only those near who had faith and were in sympathy. Then he 
took her by the hand and said in the Aramaic Syriac language, 
"Talitha cumi, " which is, being interpreted, " Damsel, I say 
unto thee, arise," and she arose straightway and walked. He 
then commanded them to give her something to eat, to show them 
that it was a reality that they saw, and not an apparition. They 
must use the natural means to keep her well, after she had been 
supernaturally raised to life. Young converts who have been raised 
from the death of sin need to be fed also. The glorious lesson 
here for us is that Christ is Lord of death! has the power over it, 
and will raise us all from the dead. il Christ raised three dead 
men to life — one newly departed, another on the bier, a third 
smelling in the grave — to show that no degree of death is so des- 
perate that it is past help" (Bishop Hall). 

The hot sun, the dust and sleeping in the open air in the East 
are very injurious to the eyes, and the number of the blind in that 
country is large. As Jesus was departing from the house of 
Jairus two blind men followed him crying, l ' Thou Son of David 
have mercy on us. ' ' By addressing him as Son of David they 
confessed their faith in him as the Messiah, who according to 
prophecy was to cure the blind. (See Isaiah 29:18; 35:5.) He 
went on into the house, perhaps the house in Capernaum where 
he stopped. Doubtless they followed him to it. When the blind 
men had come into the house he asked them, in order to stimulate 
their faith, "Believe ye that I am able to do this?" They had 
already confessed him as Messiah and now he wishes a further con- 
fession of faith. We never believe a thing if we do not believe 
it enough to say so. Confession always helps faith. "He did not 
say believe ye that I am able to entreat my Father; that I am 
able to pray, but that I am able to do this" (Chrysostom). He 
touched their eyes. In all the recorded acts of healing the blind 
he always touched them or used some outwards means and never 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 125 

healed them by a word. When he touched them he said, ' ' Accord- 
ing to your faith be it unto you. ' ' This is a law, not only for 
physical healing but for soul healing. 

He ever delighted to honor real faith. He does today. How 
much do you trust him. Since his popularity again and again 
impeded his work, he charged them to tell no man about it. The 
blind men had no more than gone out before "they brought to 
him a dumb man possessed of a devil. ' ' This is the ninth miracle 
given us in this series or miracles in Chapters eight and nine. 
"With this closes the group of ten miracles of this and the pre- 
vious chapter. They should be studied to see what a variety of 
kinds they embrace, and with what a variety of incidents they 
were attended. They are selected, too, from an immense number. 
They show His power over disease, life, elements, brutes, devils, 
and the secrets of men's hearts. They exhibit touches of tender- 
ness, faith, gratitude and wonder. But in the background is a 
party of deep, malignant, calumniating enemies, who hate him 
because he is pure and good, and will disbelieve because they hate. 
Hatred will give spring to action and they will land in crimes 
at which the soul shudders to mention" (Whedon). And so the 
Pharisees said that he cast out devils through the help of devils. 
What a sad account, people — yea, even some church men — in every 
age will have to render for their prejudice against the truth! 

A careful study of Matthew will show a systematic plan in 
all his writing. Having given the principles of Jesus as uttered 
in the Sermon on the Mount, and having given us nine miracles 
in the circuit which Jesus took right after the Sermon on the 
Mount, he now shows his preparation for calling His preachers 
and why he called them. His compassion for the multitudes with- 
out a shepherd led him to commission His twelve apostles for this 
purpose. "Christ pities those most that pity themselves the 
least" (Henry). There were many doctors of the law, religious 
teachers and scholars but no shepherds. It is often so, we fear. 
He commands them therefore to pray the Lord of the harvest to 
send laborers into the harvest. 

God must send the laborers. Men are not to choose the min- 
istry, as they do other professions or vocations. Unless God send 
them, their labors will be useless. We ought to make this same 



126 COMMENTAKY ON THE GOSPEL 

prayer and then find out what part God has for us in the world's 
great harvest field. He showed the necessity of prayer for the 
laborers by spending the night in prayer before he commissioned 
his disciples. Do we pray much for God to raise up laborers 
for the work which is as truly to day like a field white for the har- 
vest? Do we pray for God to raise up mission workers for the 
fields so white in distant lands and for the holiness work at home? 



CHAPTER X. 
OUR HOLY RELIGION MEETS BITTER OPPOSITION. 

The Great Commission of the Disciples of Christ. Vs. 1-15. Car- 
nality Both in Church and State Has Ever Been the Great Foe 
of Our Holy Religion. Vs. 16-22. Jesus Has Comfort for 
Those Who Suffer for His Cause. Vs. 23-33. Jesus and Holy 
Men Are the Occasion of Division. Vs. 34-39. His Ambassa- 
dors Will Always Find Some Who Will Hear Their Message. 
Vs. 40-42. 

THE GEEAT COMMISSION OF THE DISCIPLES OF CHEIST. 

Vs. 1-15. 

1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he 
gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to 
heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 

2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these ; The first, 
Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother ; James the son 
of Zebedee, and John his brother ; 

3 Philip, and Bartholomew ; Thomas, and Matthew the publican ; 
James the son of Alphseus, and Lebbseus, whose surname was 
Thaddseus ; 

4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed 
him. 

5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, 
Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samar- 
itans enter ye not : 

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 

7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils : 
freely ye have received, freely give. 

9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses. 

10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, 
nor yet staves : for the workman is worthy of his meat. 

11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who 
in it is worthy ; and there abide till ye go thence. 

12 And when ye come into an house, salute it. 

127 



128 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

13 And if the house he worthy, let your peace come upon it : hut 
if it he not worthy, let your peace return to you. 

14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, 
when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your 
feet. 

15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the 
land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that 
city. 

Jesus had given his platform of principles in the Sermon on 
the Mount. He had been performing gracious miracles to con- 
firm his teaching and give them the authority, that came by the 
proof therein, of his divinity and deity. He had aroused the 
hatred of the dominant church party called the Scribes and Phari- 
sees, by his denunciation of their practices in his Sermon on the 
Mount. 

The more the hatred of the Pharisees increased against him, 
the more the people rallied about him and gladly heard him. Be- 
cause it was impossible for him to preach to all these vast multi- 
tudes, and because he needed to have preachers in training to 
take up the work after his crucifixion, he called the twelve dis- 
ciples at this time to commence preaching the gospel. One of the 
best ways of teaching young ministers how to preach, is to set 
them at it. We do not by any means intend to say that there 
should not be a preparation for preaching, but the practical method 
of having them preach while at their studies is, to our minds, most 
excellent. There may be much learned out of books when the 
practical part is not carried on side by side with the intellectual 
teaching. It might be said that these men were not trained in 
the schools of the prophets and therefore we have the apparent 
example here against intellectual training for the ministry. But 
this is hardly to be considered a fair argument. This commission, 
here given, was only temporary. It was only for a few months 
ot weeks at least. And yet in this short evangelistic trip, he laid 
down some eternal principles, which should guide the ministry m 
all ages. If God can use an uneducated ministry he ought to use 
a trained ministry to still greater advantage. He wants a sound 
soul, mind and body, each cultivated the best we -can, to be used 
in his service. When he had risen from the dead and ascended to 
heaven he appeared to one of the most cultivated and best edu- 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 129 

cated men of the day — Paul — and called him to the ministry. And 
even then he did not fully allow him to go into the work until 
he had been three years in the deserts of Arabia getting ready, 
like Moses, who although skilled in all the wisdom that Egypt, the 
best educated nation of that day, could give, yet had forty years 
of preparation in meditation in the desert. The call and ordina- 
tion of the disciples had been given at the time of the Sermon on 
the Mount (Matt. 5:1). At that time it is said, "When he was 
set his disciples came unto him." But now when he commissions 
them it says, "He called unto him his disciples." They came 
when they wished to learn, but when sent out to preach, they were 
called. Let men not be in a hurry to preach. Let them wait 
until He comes to them; until they are sure that He calls them. 
This is too serious a matter to rush into, as we do into business 
or profession. It is not a profession. It is a calling. 

The number, twelve, is quite significant. The sons of Jacob 
were twelve, and we read that the twelve apostles are to sit on 
twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28). 
The wall of the city, that John saw, "had twelve foundations and 
in them the names of the twelve apostles." (See Rev. 21:14.) 
It says in verse 1, "his twelve disciples," showing that he had 
already called and ordained them. He gave them power for this 
short temporary campaign. What is power? No one can tell. We 
see its effects but are unable to define it. These same men had 
power after the Holy Ghost came upon them, to be true witnesses 
for Jesus. But here we find they had power before Pentecost, 
over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal diseases. The 
lesson is that God gives those that he has called in every genera- 
tion power, just as far as they need it, for the special work he 
calls them to do. Here he gave power to cast out devils and to 
heal the sick, that their words might have weight. 

His own miracles called attention to his utterances of the truth. 
So now he gives them miraculous power over disease as their cre- 
dentials, that they might be able to lay the foundation of the 
kingdom. But the great power they had after Pentecost was 
power to be effective witnesses. Healing was a gift not bestowed 
on all after Pentecost, as we see by reading 1 Cor. 12:2, where the 
gift of healing in the church after Pentecost is placed fifth in 



130 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

importance in the list of gifts, which even all did not possess in 
the Pentecostal Church. 1 Cor. 12:11 says that it was not for all 
but given by the Spirit as he saw fit. 

There have been people in our day who have been inclined to 
make healing most important and have put it above Sanctification. 
But we find here that the disciples had the gift of healing before 
they had their Pentecost. It is therefore of secondary importance 
compared to sanctification. It is not necessary now, as it was then, 
in establishing Christianity. It is now established so the power to 
work miracles is not given as then. 

Matthew says, "Now the names of the twelve apostles are 
these. ' ' Notice the change of the name from disciples to apostles. 
The word disciple means a learner. The word apostle means one 
who has oeen sent forth. These disciples had been learners of 
Him and now He sends them forth. This is the true preparation 
for preaching — to learn from Jesus himself. 4 We are not fit to go 
until we receive this endowment. As good as intellectual training 
may be it can never take the place of learning from Jesus. He 
who has no experimental acquaintance with Jesus is not fit to 
preach his gospel. Our schools of theology ought to have a special 
department to teach preachers how to get acquainted with Jesus. 
And he, who does not daily learn of Jesus, ought to get out of 
the ministry. He had tested them and proved them and now He 
sends them out to preach. The church does well to follow the 
admonition of Paul, "Lay hands on no man suddenly." Do not 
be in a hurry to ordain men, until they have been tried and proved. 
Luke says that Jesus himself gave them the name of Apostles (See 
Luke 6:13). Jesus himself is called an apostle in Hebrews 3:1. 
He was sent forth by God. 

There are four lists of the apostles given in the New Testa- 
ment. The three other places are Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16 
and Acts 1:13. There are some slight variations in the lists. 
Judas is left out of the list in Acts as he was then dead. Mat- 
thew mentions Lebbaeus. Mark calls him Thaddaeus, while Luke 
calls him Judas, not Iscariot. ' ' In Acts he is called ' ' Judas son 
of James." Though all of them did not come into like promi- 
nence, yet they all fulfilled their mission (with the exception of 
Judas) and sealed their testimony with their death, for the truth 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 131 

which they preached. The names are not given in the same order 
in these four lists. But Peter was placed first, not because 
he was their superintendent or even exercised any authority over 
them. We find no place that he did. James the brother of the 
Lord seems to have been more of a leader than Peter in the 
church (See Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18). Peter does not seem to 
have had so much to do with laying the foundation of the church 
as did Paul. So we can not admit the claims of The Catholic 
church that Peter was the first pope. There is no trace of any 
preeminence on the part of Peter in any of the epistles. 

Peter was of that bold, impetuous nature which would naturally 
bring him to the front among the apostles. But we have no 
authority for saying that he was ever appointed to take the place 
of Jesus Christ as pope. Ecclesiastical history says he suffered 
martyrdom at Rome. There is no account in the New Testament of 
his ever being at Eome. 

Jesus called five disciples from the company of John the 
Baptist (See John 1:36-49) whose disciples they were, at the 
time he called them. This is proof that they were converted at 
the time he called them for John preached all that is contained 
in what is called " conversion. ' ' 

There were three pairs of brothers among them. Andrew and 
Peter, James and John called Boanerges (Sons of thunder), James 
the less and Judas or Thaddseus. Matthew has il Simon the 
Canaanite" whom Luke calls him " Simon Zelotes. " Whedon 
says, " Least is known in regard to this apostle of all the twelve. 
He is not mentioned in the New Testament out of the catalogue. 
The epithet Canaanite is an Aramaic word, signifying the Zealot. 
The name indicates that he had belonged to the fanatical sect 
of Judas, the Gaulonite, before he became an apostle of Jesus. ' ' 

This first commission of the apostles was for the benefit of the 
church. Jesus said, ' l Go not into the way of the Gentiles and into 
any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. ' ' The first evangelism 
instituted by the Lord was to the church. Jesus himself never 
preached to the Gentiles. He told the Syrophenician woman that 
he was not sent except ' ' to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ' ' 
The order of the evangelists then was instituted originally for 
the church. Paul in the list of the divers orders of the ministry 



132 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

in Eph. 4:11, says that evangelists were ordained by Jesus ''for 
the perfecting of the saints." We speak of this because there 
has been much reflection of late on those, who have been called to 
labor as evangelists "for the perfecting of the saints": in other 
words "holiness evangelists." 

Jesus never ordered his preachers to preach to the outside 
world until they had received their Pentecost. This is the 
preparation that preachers need to reach the unsaved masses. 
This commission in this chapter was "to the lost sheep of the 
house of Israel. It seems to us there is a great mission today 
to the backslidden church, as well as to the unsaved. "A lost 
sheep " is a backslider. He is not a lost goat but a ' ' lost sheep. ' ' 
These disciples were not to enter any city of the Samaritans. 

The Samaritans were a mixed race of Jews and heathen. 
The Jews were not on good terms with them as a nation. This 
may be seen in the account of the talk with Jesus and the woman 
at the well of Samaria (John 4:9). The message of the apostles 
as they went in this truly itinerant ministry was, "The kingdom 
of heaven is at hand. ' ' This was the same truth that both Jesus 
and John the Baptist had been preaching (See Matt. 3:2; and 
Mark 1:5). The gospel of the kingdom is the key to Christ's 
ministry. We find him constantly alluding to it. It means the 
reign of Jesus in men's hearts. IT is "Righteousness and peace 
and joy in the Holy Ghost. ' ' This preaching created a general ex- 
pectation of the coming of Jesus and extended and intensified the 
movement. We have said quite often in these notes that physical 
healing is a type of spiritual healing and only those miracles of 
bodily healing are given in the New Testament that illustrate 
especial phases of the salvation of the soul. 

The command "Raise the dead" of verse 8 is wanting in 
some of the best ancient manuscripts. We have no recorded 
instance of the disciples ever raising the dead before Pentecost. 
But they were preaching a gospel that has been raising people 
from the death of sin all through the centuries ever since. He 
added, ' ' Freely ye have received, freely give. ' ' They had received 
the power to heal the sick gratuitously. They must not make 
charges for the results of this endowment when they had healed 
the sick. This is not in harmony with the so called "Christian 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 133 

Science" of today which demands a high price for its alleged 
healing. They were to provide no money for their journey 
or attendant expenses. This was to be a short evangelistic trip, 
and it was not necessary to make great preparations for it. 
Neither were they to take any scrip. This was a leathern bag in 
which the traveller usually carried food for his journey. He 
told them that the workman was worthy of his meat. He meant 
by this that they were to trust the Lord, and the people. 

Sometimes the Gospel ministry feel a longing for a fund 
that they may not feel dependent on some, who so stingily deal 
out their support. But if the preacher had abundance of means, 
so as not to depend on the people it would make the penurious 
people still more so. God has called poor men mostly to the 
ministry for good reasons. He has made it his order, that they 
who preach the Gospel should live by the Gospel. They were 
not to take any superfluous clothing. These commands were only 
for this temporary mission of a few weeks, but yet they con- 
tain some important underlying principles. "It is no more just 
to assume that the ministry must always be itinerant and with- 
out a settled support, than to conclude that they must never preach 
to the Gentiles, and must confine their preaching to a mere herald- 
ing of the kingdom of heaven (vs. 5-7). In subsequent directions 
for their ministry, Christ gave his disciples commands directly 
opposite to certain precepts here, and his own practice did not 
ordinarily conform to the precepts here given, forbidding to take 
provision. The band had a treasurer and usually carried both 
money and provision (John 12:6; Matt. 14:17; 15:34; 16:6, 7): 
and Christ himself expressly declared later that these directions 
were not applicable in their subsequent ministry (Luke 22:35, 
36)" (Abbott). But the underlying principles of unostentatious 
attire and simple food are still applicable. 

They were to be particular were they were entertained. They 
were to stop with those who were worthy because favorably dis- 
posed towards the truth which they had come to preach. Wherever 
they found the people of a house worthy there they were to 
abide and not waste their time in social visiting. This is a good 
suggestion for the evangelist of today. When they came to a 
house they were to salute it. That is, they were to pronounce a 



134 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

blessing on the household. This was a custom of those days. 
The ambassador of God is not to be unnecessarily discourteous. 
He says "if the house be worthy." It is a consolation that some 
may be found in every community who are willing to receive the 
truth. If people were not worthy when they offered the usual 
salute, " Peace be to this house" then it would come back to 
them. They would feel a sweet peace in their own bosoms, even 
if men did not receive their token of good will. 

If they were not received they were to shake the dust off their 
feet as they departed. It was as if the iniquity of that house 
or place had defiled the very ground and they wished to separate 
themselves from it. The Scribes and Pharisees when they came 
from a journey in a heathen country were accustomed to shake the 
dust off their feet as if the very soil of the heathen country 
was a defilement. It was a custom that people of that day under- 
stood. He declares that it should be more tolerable for Sodom 
and Gomorrah in the day of Judgment than for those who re- 
fused to have the messengers of truth present its claims to them. 
Sodom and Gomorrah were cities destroyed for awful, beastly 
crimes. He says that those who will not accept deliverance from 
sin will have a harder fate than those foul cities. It is a serious 
matter then to refuse to be saved from sin. The words "more 
tolerable" are weighty words. They show that there are degrees 
of guilt which of course correspond to degrees of sin. Abbott 
says very pertinently "Neither secular nor sacred history con- 
tain a record of immorality and vice more flagrant and loathsome 
than of the cities of the plain: but Christ pronounces a heavier 
woe against those who refuse the proffer of the gospel, because 
the refusal to accept help out of sin is more fatal than any form 
of immorality however grievous." According to Jesus, in this 
verse, there is to be "A day of Judgment," a future day, when 
rewards and punishments will be meted out to men. The doctrine 
of the Judgment Day is too clear in the New Testament to be 
denied. 

CAENALITY, BOTH IN CHUECH AND STATE, IS THE 
GEEAT FOE OF OUE HOLY EELIGION. Vs. 16-22. 

16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be 
ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 135 

17 But beware of men : for they will deliver you up to the coun- 
cils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues : 

18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my 
sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 

19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what 
ye shall speak, for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye 
shall speak. 

20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father 
which speaketh in you. 

21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the 
father the child : and the children shall rise up against their parents, 
and cause them to be put fo death. 

22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake ; but he 
that endureth to the end shall be saved. 

Jesus having told them how to carry out their commission of 
preaching the kingdom of heaven, now unfolds to them the dangers 
and opposition that they must meet. He had allowed them to see 
bis miracles before they were to be thrust out into the face of 
the enemy. They had also had experience of heavenly things 
and association with himself. These things are indispensable 
if we are to go out on the firing line, viz; a real experience of 
divine things and the remembrance of the victories that we have 
seen in time past. Otherwise the fierce opposition that the real 
Gospel meets, would discourage us. 

Jesus was an apparently discouraging preacher. He seemed 
to make things hard for his followers at the start. Some leaders 
have told their followers smooth things at the start only to sadly 
disappoint them. But Jesus set the matter before them in its real 
light. He challenged the heroic which is in man's nature. If 
the preachers of today would put more of that into their preach- 
ing they would have a better quality of converts. They might not 
have so many apparent converts, but they would have more real 
converts. He told them of the fierceness of the carnal mind. 
He said they would be like sheep among wolves. The wicked 
are like wolves, fierce and hateful and ready to devour those, 
who tell them of their sins. How absurd the idea that some 
maintain that these men were unsaved before Pentecost. Had 
they been unsaved they would have been as wolves among wolves, 
not as 1 1 sheep among wolves. ' ' 

These sheep were commanded to be wise as serpents and harm- 



136 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

less as doves. There is no countenance given here to those pugna- 
cious characters, who are ever unnecessarily stirring up controversy 
by their wholesale denunciations of everything and everybody, that 
they can think of. While we are to preach the truth unflinchingly 
and without compromise, there is no sanction for much of the 
foolishness that we often hear that makes the Gospel despised. 
God wishes us to be discrete as well as uncompromising. Many an 
ambassador of Christ has allowed his good to be evil spoken of 
because he felt it his duty to be unreasonable and made an issue 
sometimes where the Lord has not made it. 

We think this verse is a plea for sanctified common sense. 
If a man has not good sense he can make the highest degrees of 
grace odious, in ways God never intended. God's true people 
have always had to bear a great deal from those about them, 
who do not like spiritual things, both in the church and out of 
it. They are like sheep. Sheep will not fight wolves. It is no 
use for them to try it. But God's people have won their greatest 
victories by letting the other people do the fighting. D'Aubigne 
in his history of the Eeformation says the reason The Reformation 
failed in France was because they took the sword to defend it. 
And the reason it succeeded in Germany was because Luther 
refused to accept military aid but trusted in God to save his 
own cause. l i They that take the sword shall perish by the 
sword, ' ' said Jesus. 

''Beware of men." The most cruel thing in this world is the 
human heart. Man has persecuted his kind more savagely than 
have the wild beasts. The crimes that have been done in the name 
of religion are heinous enough to make the devils blush. "The 
carnal mind is enmity against God," said Paul. Any degree 
of real religion will meet the enmity of the carnal mind. The 
holier a man is the more will he be subject to its attacks. Let 
us not therefore be dismayed if we find holiness severely attacked. 
Jesus himself had his worst attacks from the carnal mind in the 
professed church. Wherever carnality is, it will act itself out. 
This is the cause of the unpopularity of holiness. Not only 
would they deliver the followers of Jesus up to councils but 
even scourge them in the synagogue (the place of religious wor- 
ship). Many have been scourged by the tongue at least, in the 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 137 

modern synagogue. The nearer we come to the Christ likeness, the 
more we shall receive the same treatment that Jesus received, 
as far as the civil law will permit men to go. He further adds 
that "Ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my 
sake and for a testimony against them. ' ' Paul was brought before 
Felix, Festus, Agrippa and Nero. This was permitted by God, 
that in the Judgment Day it would be brought up as a memorial 
to men — the way they had treated God's saints. 

When they were brought before councils they were to take no 
thought how or what they were to speak. The word "thought" 
here is the same that is rendered anxiety in Chapter 6:25. It 
means as there, "Be not anxious as to what or how you shall 
speak" (See note on Matt. 6:25). The reason for this absence 
of anxiety was the Spirit of their Father should speak in them. 
This means that God speaks through men under certain circum- 
stances. He does not speak through all men, but through certain 
men under certain circumstances. This does not mean that a 
preacher or teacher should not study his subject in order to be per- 
fectly familiar with it and to know the mind of God upon the 
subject. Those preachers, who have done little studying have 
never, as a rule, done much good in the world. People do not 
care to come to hear them. Paul says, "Study to show thyself 
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. ' ' The priests in the 
ancient tabernacle brought beaten oil for the lights. This com- 
mand of Christ is for the time of emergency. IT took real con- 
secration to so trust God as not to be anxious over their personal 
defence, when they were to stand in the courts and have some of 
the sharp, legal minds against them. God in that hour did not 
give them new faculties of speech but he suggested to them 
just the right things to say and the right way to say them. If 
the Lord inspired these apostles to speak these things, who will 
say that he did not inspire them to write what they did in the 
New Testament? 

He then goes on to show them that the carnal mind will violate 
all the ties of nature. It will set brother against brother, father 
against child, and children against parents. This may be seen 
in this day. If one doubts it let him get the experience of holi- 
ness and see how it will stir up his own household. The carnal 



138 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

mind has been known to separate husbands and wives, because 
of Christ likeness of disposition, which the carnal nature hates. 
Is it any wonder that when we are wholly sanctified we find more 
congenial fellowship with the saints many times than with our 
own flesh and blood? The saints understand us better than they 
of our household, who are not of "like precious faith." If any 
one thinks the carnal mind is of little account, or a fiction, let him 
begin to be and act like Jesus and see if other people will not 
begin to act like Satan. 

They would be ' ' hated of all men. ' ' What a picture ! and yet 
he found those who were ready to enlist under his banner. And 
he has found a few in all ages. But there are encouragements 
which he gives. "He that endureth to the end shall be saved." 
Surely when we think what heaven and hell are, the soul that 
escapes hell and gains heaven has not paid too much for what he 
finally gets. Endurance to the end brings the prize. This shows 
that we may fail to endure to the end. We can backslide any- 
where along the road. And many have gone back. The opposition 
was too much for them. If we get heaven at the end, no price 
that we may have paid will be too great. 

JESUS HAS COMFORT FOR THOSE WHO SUFFER FOR HIS 

CAUSE. Vs. 23-33. 

23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another : 
for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of 
Israel, till the Son of man be come. 

24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above 
his lord. 

25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the 
servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house 
Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? 

26 Fear them not therefore : for there is nothing covered, that 
shall not be revealed ; and hid, that shall not be known. 

27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light : and 
what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. 

28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill 
the soul : but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and 
body in hell. 

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them 
shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 139 

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many 
sparrows. 

32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will 
I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 

33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny 
before my Father which is in heaven. 

He tells them when persecuted in one city to flee to another. 
He has it so ordered that there is always some other place, where 
his disciples who are persecuted may go. There is always a 
refuge. There are times when it is our duty to flee from persecu- 
tion; to stay would do no good. Jesus himself, at times, hid 
himself from persecution (See Luke 4:28-30; John 8:59; 10:39). 
There is also a time to stand our ground when we see that our 
departure might jeopardize the interests of Christ's kingdom." 
"If a person has a flock committed to his care, which will be 
scattered and torn by wolves if he flees, then he must not fly" 
(Wordsworth). Sometimes by fleeing from persecution the cause 
is helped. The persecution and scattering of the Pentecostal 
church helped the cause because the disciples went preaching the 
word everywhere and more people heard it than would have 
heard it had they remained at Jerusalem. ' - The same principle 
in the later history of the church, has worked the same way: for 
example, the flight of the Puritans from the persecutions of the 
Stuarts, and of the Huguenots from the persecutions of France, 
led to the religious foundation which was imparted to the American 
colonies." (Abbott.) 

' ' Verily I say unto you. ' ' The word ' ' verily ' ' is literally 
Amen. It is "Amen, I say unto you": a most solemn form of a 
affirmation. < < Till the Son of Man come. ' ' The title Son of Man 
applied to Christ is first used by Daniel in his prophecy of the 
Messiah (Dan. 7:13). It was used before that, in the Old 
Testament, sometimes in a general way. But he calls himself 
The Son of Man not only to show that he was human as well as 
divine, but also to show that he was the typical man, the Second 
Adam, the founder of a new race, who should be what God wants 
man to be — like Jesus, the pattern man. This is a difficult passage. 
It certainly cannot refer to the Second Advent for that did not 
come in their days, and they certainly did go over the cities of 
Israel before the Second Advent. As Son of Man He did not know 



140 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

when His final coming was to be (Mark 13:32), but there are 
other senses in which Christ comes as well as at the end of the 
world in his great final personal coming. IT seems to us to mean 
that before they were clone with their preaching Christ was re- 
vealed as the Messiah notably when the multitude escorted him 
through the city gates crying "Hosanna." This, and his cruci- 
fixion and resurrection, were his coming as Messiah, together with 
the outpouring of Pentecost which completed the whole scheme 
of the redemption as far as his Messiahship was concerned. In 
other words the Messiah's kingdom was fully set up before they 
had been persecuted through all the cities of Palestine. 

We will surely be persecuted if we are like Jesus, but we shall 
not have as much to endure as he, because the disciple is not 
above his Master. It is enough that we be as our Master and 
fill up what is behind of his sufferings (Col. 1:24). He hints 
that they had called Him, Beelzebub. In one place, they said 
he cast out devils through the aid of Beelzebub, who was the 
God of the Ekronites, and considered by the Pharisees to be the 
prince of the devils. 

They charged the good deeds, that He was doing to mankind, 
to evil causes. Was not this the unpardonable sin indeed! We 
must not be astonished if we are accused of sinister motives and 
of an evil spirit when we are seeking to bless the church and man- 
kind. That is the way Jesus was treated. They were com- 
manded not to fear what men might do, in impugning their mo- 
tives for "there is nothing covered but shall be revealed." The 
Judgment Day will uncover men's motives and show, to an as- 
sembled world, whether we were seeking to do men good from a 
pure motive or not. We can afford to wait because the vindication 
will be so complete and final. Chrysostom says, "For why do ye 
grieve at their calling you sorcerers and deceivers? but wait a little 
and all men will call you saviours and benefactors of the world — 
yea for time (still more the disclosures of the last Judgment) 
discovers all things that are concealed: it will both refute their 
false accusations and make manifest your virtue." All slanders 
have their day and then The Great Day comes that will uncover 
them all. 

What he told them in private he wished them to proclaim in 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 141 

public by precept and example. It might cost them their lives 
to do so, but what of that? Men can kill only the body but God 
can destroy both the soul and body in hell. Hence we are to fear 
God only and show our fear when the question of duty comes, 
by obeying Him. Notice Christ makes a distinction between 
soul and body. Men may destroy the body but there is an im- 
mortal part — the soul, the real man — whom they can not touch 
or injure. Men may hurt the casket but cannot touch the jewel, 
which is within. The more we fear men the less we shall fear God; 
and vice versa, the more we fear God the less we shall fear men. 
The three worthies so feared God that when seized by the king 
and ordered to worship the golden image, they said, "we are not 
careful, O king, to answer thee in this matter. ' ' The word hell here 
is literally ' ' Gehenna. ' ' " This word Gehenna or valley of Hinnom, 
in its primitive and literal sense, designated a gorge south of Jeru- 
salem, otherwise called Tophet, where the offals of the city were 
ordinarily burned. As a place of defilement and perpetual fire, 
it became, to the Jewish mind the emblem, and the word became 
the name, of the perpetual fire of retribution in a world to come. 
Hence loose reasoners have endeavored to maintain that this valley 
was the only hell. And upon this sophism the heresy of Uni- 
versalism is mainly founded. But the present text demonstrates 
that beyond the death of the body, and therefore in a future state, 
there is a hell or Gehenna, which the soul may suffer, more terrible 
than bodily death, and more to be feared than any evil that man 
may inflict. God is the author of that evil: it lies beyond death. 
No plausible interpretation can expel these meanings from this 
text" (Whedon). The meaning of the whole passage is then 
that the ministers of Christ must find out from Him the real 
meaning in private, of the truth and then proclaim it in the face 
of a gainsaying world in spite of their frowns, or go to hell 
themselves as a punishment for unfaithfulness in declaring the 
word. What a solemn thing it is to preach the gospel! 

Having given them this solemn warning he now proceeds to 
encourage them by telling them that they are the special objects 
of his care while doing their duty and preaching the gospel. God 
is looking after all his creatures even the smallest of the birds 
which are equal in value to about half a cent in our money. Not 



142 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

one of them falls to the ground without your Heavenly Father. 
This is often quoted, " Without your Heavenly Father's notice." 
This is not correct. It means not one of them f alleth to the ground 
without your Heavenly Father being there. He permits it or it 
could not take place. Nothing can happen to you by the persecu- 
tion of your enemies, except God permits, and he will look after 
you. He permitted it for a purpose. Man is of more conse- 
quence even than the sparrows. The very hairs of our heads 
are all numbered. This shows the minuteness and particular care 
of God for his children. Nothing can come to us without the 
permission of God for a wise purpose. We ought to be very 
bold and zealous then in proclaiming the truth. 

Having given these reasons why they should proclaim the truth 
he draws a conclusion from these facts by saying, li Whosoever 
therefore shall confess me before men. ' ' " The man, who in 
the face of the enemy and his persecution fears God more than 
men and will confess me, him will I also confess. ' ' Notice the con- 
trast. We are to confess him before men, who can not injure the 
immortal part of us. He will confess us before the great and 
mighty God. And He will deny us in the same presence, if we 
deny Him before feeble men. He will treat us there as we treat 
him here. The confession and denial will be as real there as 
we make them here. By confession He means a consistent pro- 
fession of salvation, before men. 

JESUS AND HOLY MEN AEE THE OCCASION OF DIVISION. 

Vs. 34-39. 

34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth : I came 
not to send peace, but a sword. 

35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, 
and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against 
her mother in law. 

36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 

37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy 
of me : and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not 
worthy of me. 

38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is 
not worthy of me. 

39 He that flndeth his life shall lose it : and he that loseth his 
life for my sake shall find it. 



ACCOBDING TO ST. MATTHEW 143 

It might seem strange that such a gentle being as Jesus, and 
such a beautiful thing as holiness should cause division in this 
world, and. even in the church. At first sight it seems paradoxical 
if not contradictory that He who is called ' ' The Prince of Peace ' ' 
should send a sword: should be the occasion of division. But it 
is not the fault of Jesus nor of his holiness. Those who have 
blamed the modern holiness movement for "making division in 
the church" must blame Jesus, for he made division in the same 
way. The question however is not so much, as to the fact of 
division but was Jesus right in all his sayings and doings? The 
question is, is holiness, the core of his teachings, the truth? If 
His teachings are right then the fault and blame for the division 
does not rest with Him or His truth but with those who oppose it. 
For there has never been any division except for the reason that 
some have rebelled against Him and his truth and have refused 
to yield. They are responsible for the division, and not Jesus nor 
His truth. Two pieces of iron cannot be welded unless there is 
fire in both. If one piece has no fire it must not blame the fire 
or the other piece of iron or the man who would weld them, if 
there is a division and they do not weld. The fault is in the 
piece that has no fire. "The first coming of Christ always brings 
war whether to the individual or the community' ' (Abbott). When 
holiness goes into a world of sin there must be war. If there 
were no war then holiness is not holiness. The salt has lost its 
savor. "Light is as much opposed to darkness as darkness is to 
light. Truth would annihilate error and holiness hates sin" 
(Whedon). Instead of its being a slur to be cast upon holiness 
that it causes division, it ought to be considered its glory, for it 
is like Jesus in this respect. And so Jesus tells us that we are 
to let nothing come in to make us compromise, for, if we love 
kinfolk or any body more than him, we are not worthy of him. 
Cumming says, "Now the direct object of the gospel is to pro- 
mote peace but it will be the occasion, or the incidental effect, 
not the direct effect, of the gospel that sin will rise up against 
holiness, impurity against purity, the lover of the world against 
the lover of God, the lover of the praise of men against him who 
loveth the praise of God only. ' ' 

Jesus goes on still further to tell his disciples that they must 



144 COMMENTAKY ON THE GOSPEL 

bear their cross daily and follow him or they are not fit to be his 
disciples. It is astonishing what ideas men have in this twentieth 
century as to the nature of the cross. What is it? To some it 
is only the crucifix. Something to be put on the roof of the 
church or worn as a trinket. To others it means duty. We have 
heard preachers solemnly tell us from the pulpit that bearing the 
cross means to do your duty for Christ. They call it a cross 
to do their duty for Jesus the best friend they have: it is bearing 
the cross to serve Him who died for their redemption from the 
pains of eternal death. What an idea! How ridiculous to hear 
a man, who has been taken from the horrible pit of miry clay, 
whose sins are forgiven and has peace with God, and such an one 
in an assembly, who are all in sympathy with him, relates his new 
experience and calls it bearing the cross. And yet we have heard 
it so denominated. The man who bore the cross anciently was the 
criminal, who was carrying the cross to the place where he was 
to be nailed on it and hung up to be gazed upon by the world 
as one, who had been executed by an ignominious death, as shame- 
ful and disgraceful as the gallows is in modern times. Bearing the 
cross means the daily reproach we must meet from the carnal 
minded all about who despise real salvation. It means the re- 
proach we must meet for being "one of them." It means still 
further the reproach of those who propose and do carry on their 
war against the old carnal nature until, like Paul, they are cruci- 
fied with Christ and the old sinful nature is destroyed and they 
are wholly sanctified. Every Christian has either been to Calvary 
or is on his way, where the old man is to be put to death. ' ' Each 
follower of Christ is crucified in fact or in readiness of spirit. ' ' 
(Whedon.) 

Jesus adds still further ' ' He that findeth his life shall lose it : 
and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. ' ' This sounds 
paradoxical if not contradictory. Paul says about the same thing 
of his crucifixion when the old carnal Paul died thus, ' ' I am cruci- 
fied with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth 
in me." One Paul died and the other Paul survived. Are we 
really following Christ? 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 145 

HIS AMBASSADORS WILL ALWAYS FIND SOME WHO 
WILL HEAR THEIR MESSAGE. Vs. 40-42. 

40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth 
me receiveth him that sent me. 

41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall 
receive a prophet's reward ; and he that receiveth a righteous man in 
the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 

42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little 
ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say 
unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. 

Thank God it may be an unpopular way but we are not alone! 
There are some who accept the truth, honest hearted ones, who 
will hear our message. Those who are willing to receive God's 
prophets and share the stigma and reproach that they receive 
shall share the reward with them. He calls his disciples his ' ' little 
ones" and as St. Augustine says lest any one might say, I am so 
poor that I can not do much, if such an one gives them even a 
cup of water in His name he shall have his reward. They will be 
treated by Christ in the same way that they treat his disciples. 
Chrysostom notes the climax of this chapter thus: "Seest thou 
what mighty persuasions he used and how he opened to them the 
houses of the whole world? Yea, he signified that men are their 
debtors, first by saying, the workman is worthy of his hire : second- 
ly, by sending them forth bearing nothing : thirdly, by giving them 
up to wars and fighting in behalf of them that receive them: 
fourthly, by committing to them miracles also: fifthly, in that he 
did, by their lips, introduce peace, the cause of all blessings, into 
the houses of such as receive them: sixthly, by threatening things 
more grievous than Sodom to such as receive them not: seventhly, 
by signifying that as many as welcome them are receiving himself 
and the Father: eighthly, by promising both a prophet's and a 
righteous man's reward: ninthly, by undertaking, that the recom- 
pence shall be great even for a cup of cold water." 



CHAPTER XI. 

HOLINESS AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE GOOD, A 
REBUKE TO THE WICKED. 

Holy Men Are Truly Solicitous for the Cause of Christ. Vs. 2-6. A 
Holy Man of the Old Dispensation. Vs. 7-15. Sin Bears the 
Same Attitude Against Holiness in Both Dispensations. Vs. 
16-19. It is the Duty of Holy Men to Warn Men of the Con- 
sequences of Sin. Vs. 20-24. Holy People With Jesus Rejoice 
at the Spiritual Wisdom Found Among the Humble. Vs. 25-27. 
The Invitation to the Double Salvation. Vs. 28-30. 

HOLY MEN AEE SOLICITOUS FOR THE CAUSE OF CHEIST. 

Vs. 2-6. 

1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of com- 
manding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to 
preach in their cities. 

2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, 
he sent two of his disciples, 

3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we 
look for another? 

4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again 
those things which ye do hear and see : 

5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are 
cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor 
have the gospel preached to them. 

6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. 

The first verse of this chapter should have been joined with 
the preceding chapter. It tells what Jesus did after He had 
commissioned his disciples and sent them forth preaching. He 
went to preaching also. "He departed thence to preach and 
teach in their cities." We have next the account of certain of 
the disciples of John the Baptist, who had been sent by their 
master to Jesus on a special errand. The last we heard of John 

147 



148 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

he was baptizing the people in Jordan and preaching a straight, 
uncompromising gospel of repentenee, denouncing the leaders of 
the church for their wickedness. Herod the king had married 
the wife of another man and John did not fail to rebuke him 
and as a result had been cast into prison. We shall see further 
reference to this in chapter fourteen. It is not known how long 
John had been in prison when he sent this committee to Jesus. 
Josephus says John was imprisoned in the castle of Macherus, 
east of the Dead Sea. His disciples evidently had access to him in 
his prison, and had told him about the great works and sayings 
of Jesus. They had doubtless told him that Jesus and his dis- 
ciples did not fast as did his disciples, and doubtless had told 
him the reason that Jesus gave for not fasting (See Chapter 
9:14-17). No doubt John was perplexed at this and the other 
startling revolutionary truths which Jesus was proclaiming. John 
under these circumstances was perplexed, as he could not be on 
the ground to hear and see for himself. Consequently he sent two 
of his disciples to ask Jesus if he were the Messiah so long 
promised to the Jews or if they should look for another. A holy 
man like John is intensely interested in the prosperity of the 
cause of God. John had been preaching the coming Messiah and 
now he wished to know if this was he. Could He have seen him 
himself he would doubtless have recognized Him as he had on a 
previous occasion and have said again, "Behold the Lamb of God 
which taketh away the sin of the world." He would have rec- 
ognized Jesus as the one he had baptized and on whom the Holy 
Spirit rested like a dove. But now he had to accept it second 
hand. He was so solicitous for the cause that he sends to know 
about its prospects. He knew that Jesus was doing the very 
works that it was prophesied that the Messiah should do, but 
his new doctrines and neglect of fasting perplexed him, and he 
was anxious to understand matters. John's love for the cause 
made him over anxious. Holy men like John love the cause of 
God. It is uppermost in their thought. They mourn not over 
their own trials but over the languishing state of Zion. 

We can not believe, as some think, that John was discouraged 
and disheartened at his imprisonment. But he wanted to know 
about the future of the cause. He wanted to be able to reconcile 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 149 

the works of Jesus with his new and startling attitude on the great 
questions of righteousness as uttered in the Sermon on The Mount 
and his refusal to carry out the Jewish law of fasting. It was the 
cause that lay nearer to the heart of John than his own life or 
freedom. Would that we had more professed followers of God, 
who were deeply interested in the welfare of the cause. No doubt 
he thought the kingdom was not coming fast enough. Some of 
us, at times, get too restless and are tempted to want to hurry 
up things. So when he asked, "Art thou he that should come?" 
he doubtless referred to the third Chapter of Malachi, verse one, 
1 ' The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple. ' ' 
Luke says "in the same hour he (Jesus) cured many of their 
infirmities and plagues and of evil spirits; and unto many that 
were blind he gave sight. ' ' These were just the works that it had 
been prophesied that the Messiah should do when He came. So 
Jesus said to the messengers "Go and show John again those 
things which ye do hear and see." This is the proof of the 
genuine Gospel today. Wherever we see men being saved from 
their sins there the gospel of Jesus is preached. And then Jesus 
adds, "Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me." 
The word of end means to stumble. "Blessed is the man who 
does not stumble because there are things in me that are ob- 
jectionable to his prejudices or that he can not understand. 
Blessed is he who shall understand the work that I now do, and 
not stumble at it. The following verses show that Jesus was not 
condemning John, but rather, stimulating his faith to throw off 
his perplexity of mind. 

We are quite sure that this forever settled the mind of the 
hero, who was languishing in prison, for when he was beheaded 
his disciples buried his body and then came and told Jesus. This 
shows that he had kept his allegiance to Jesus and that of his 
disciples also. When we get perplexed the best person to solve 
the problem is Jesus himself. There was no lack of harmony 
between John and Jesus. 

A HOLY MAN OF THE OLD DISPENSATION. Vs. 7-15. 

7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes 
concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A 
reed shaken with the wind? 



150 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft 
raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in king's houses. 

9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto 
you, and more than a prophet. 

10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my mes- 
senger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 

11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women 
there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist : notwithstand- 
ing he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 

12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom 
of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 

13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 

14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. 

15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

There can be no doubt that John the Baptist was a holy man, 
for he was filled with The Holy Ghost. More than that, even 
Herod, whom he reproved for his sin and who killed him acknowl- 
edged that he was a holy man (See Mark 6:20). He was the 
last prophet of the Old Dispensation. As the deputation of 
John's disciples returned with the message of John to Jesus, the 
latter delivers a glowing eulogy on the character of John. He 
did not give this testimonial to the greatness of John while the 
disciples of John were present. Matthew Henry says, "He would 
not flatter John nor have his praises reported to him. . . . 
Pride is a corrupt humor, which we must not feed either in our- 
selves or others. ' ' But no man ever had a higher testimonial of 
character than did this holy man, of whom Jesus here speaks. It 
shows us that Jesus has an appreciation of good men, and care- 
fully marks character. Holy character goes a great ways with 
him. God put man here to develop holy character. Let us re- 
member it. 

He begins this commendation of John by asking what they 
thought they went out to hear, when John preached during his 
six months campaign in the wilderness. Did they think they 
went out to hear a reed shaken by the wind? A man of no stabil- 
ity, who came like a brilliant comet suddenly into sight and then 
faded out as suddenly? No. This shows that John was a stable 
man, who was not discouraged now because he was in prison. 
He was made of better stuff. Or did they go out to see a man 
clothed in soft raiment? John might have clothed himself in soft 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 151 

raiment instead of his camel's hair suit, had he truckled to Herod 
and told him that he was all right in his sin. But he was not 
that kind of a man, so Jesus here intimates. They went out to 
see not only the last prophet of the Old Dispensation; but more 
than a prophet. He was more than a prophet because he was the 
one who pointed out the Messiah. He was the morning star that, 
heralded the approach of the glorious Sun of Righteousness. He 
was the forerunner of the Lord. He was the man, who made 
the people ready for the Lord. That is the great glory of a true 
preacher of the gospel. He introduces people to the Lord. To 
be filled with the Holy Ghost, to be a fearless preacher of right- 
eousness, and to be the means of leading men to Jesus is what 
the latter calls " great" for he adds, " There has not risen a 
greater than John the Baptist." The Lord's idea of greatness 
is different from that of men. Men call a man great if he is a little 
taller than his fellows or weighs a little more or has a brain of 
finer quality or larger dimensions or has persuasiveness of speech 
or rules a great nation. But Jesus calls those great who are filled 
with the Holy Ghost and deliver the divine message fearlessly. 

Jesus now adds something that seems contradictory to this, 
"Notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven 
is greater than he." He wishes to show the greatness of the 
New Dispensation and how much its subjects enjoy, in point of 
privilege, above those of the Old Dispensation. The holy John was 
in a dispensation where his opportunities and privileges were cir- 
cumscribed by its dim light and imperfect revelation. Where his 
power for usefulness was not so great as the humblest in the 
New Dispensation. The humblest of us can accomplish more in 
our dispensation than the great John in that feeble dim lighted 
dispensation. Jesus said that his own disciples should work even 
greater works than Himself after the Pentecost. He adds, "And 
from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of 
heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. ' ' There 
have been various interpretations of this passage and some have 
let it alone as beyond our comprehension. But surely it has to do 
with the context in which it stands — the subject which Jesus has 
been discussing. He rebuked John for being prematurely in a 
hurry to have the kingdom set up immediately. So here he shows 



152 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

that man is always in a hurry to bring in the kingdom before 
God's appointed time, and beseiges it like an army beseiges a city 
to take it by force. Just as at one time the people wished to make 
Jesus king by force. ' ' Our Lord shows that John is not alone in 
his mistake. It is the error of this day. From the time of John 's 
first appearing to the moment of our Lord's speaking, men had 
been violently disposed to hurry the kingdom into a premature 
existence. They will have it now. They will take it by storm" 
(Whedon). He further says that "all the prophets and the law 
prophesied until John." They taught in symbols, types and 
predictions, but John introduced the new dispensation that re- 
veals the Christ of which the others only gave predictions. "If 
ye will receive it." That is, if you are willing to receive this 
truth. "This is Elias which was for to come." Elias is the 
Greek word for Elijah. This refers to the prophecy of Malachi 
(Ch. 4:5). "Behold I will send you Elijah, the prophet, be- 
fore the coming of the great and terrible day. ' ' John was asked 
by the priests and Levites if he was Elijah (John 1:21) and he 
replied in the negative. It means then that he came as an Elijah, 
that is in the spirit of Elijah. So said Gabriel (See Luke 1:17). 
He was like Elijah in so many respects that Jesus said, "Elijah 
has come already" (Matt. 17:10-13). Some have advanced the 
doctrine that Elijah came in the person of John the Baptist as the 
second Elijah and that there is a third Elijah to come, just be- 
fore the Second Advent. But we fail to find any warrant for this 
in Scripture. The passage "Elias shall first come and restore all 
things" (Matt. 17:11) should be translated "Elias cometh or is 
come. " It is in the present tense and so the Eev. Ver. translates 
it. John had already come with his reformation preliminary to 
the coming of Jesus. He adds still further this: "He that hath 
ears to hear let him hear. ' ' This was a phrase sometimes used to 
denote that what was said was worth pondering and reflecting 
upon. 

SIN BEAKS THE SAME ATTITUDE AGAINST HOLINESS 
IN BOTH DISPENSATIONS. Vs. 16-19. 

16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto 
children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,. 



AC< CEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 153 

17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced ; 
we have mourned into you, and ye have not lamented. 

18 For Tohn came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He 
hath a devil. 

19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, 
Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans 
and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. 

Sin and holiness never change in their nature. The depraved 
nature of man is the same that it was six thousand years ago. 
It opposed Jesus just as it does us, his brethren. It opposed 
John just as it did Jesus and just as it always has the cause of 
God. Jesus and John met the same treatment. John came and 
they found fault with him. He was too austere. They said he 
was not social. So Jesus came and was social, mingling with the 
people and the charge against him was that he did what they 
said John failed to do. They complained that he mixed with the 
sinful classes. John was too severe in his diet and plain living, 
and Jesus was a glutton, they said. They would not be satisfied 
with either. And do we think we can be so holy that people will 
recognize it and be glad of it? Jesus said these opposers, who 
had carnality in them, were like children playing weddings and 
funerals. Just as the children of all races are accustomed to play; 
and some contrary child would not play because he could not 
have things to suit him and have his way. The children who were 
trying to please the cross-grained child piped something lively 
and they did not like it and then something sad and they did not 
like that. So the other children said to them, "We have piped 
unto you and ye have not danced." Some thought John too 
severe and others thought Jesus too much the opposite. We sup- 
pose the children, who could not have their way, would accuse 
the others of making a division. Uusally when there is a division 
in the church on account of holiness it is because those, who do 
not like it, cannot have their way, and have it shut out. These are 
they who make the division. But the others, who do not make it, 
are held responsible for it. It is easy enough to find fault with 
holy men, if we do not like holiness. "But wisdom is justified 
of her children. ' ' Those people who want to be right and are 
willing to be led by the truth of God are the children of wisdom 
and they will recognize the truth when they hear it, in spite of the 



154 



COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 



sophistry of those who oppose it. This is the hope of the preacher 
of holiness. Thank God there are people who want to be good and 
are not prejudiced in seeking to be right. This passage is a 
parallel to Luke 7:29 where it says, "All the people that heard 
him (John) and the publicans justified God, being baptized with 
the baptism of John. ' ' 



IT IS THE DUTY OF HOLY MEN TO WARN MEN OF THE 

CONSEQUENCES OF SIN. Vs. 20-24. 

20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his 
mighty works were done, because they repented not : 

21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin ! woe unto thee, Bethsaida ! for if 
the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre 
and Sidon, tbey would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 

22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and 
Sidon at the day of judgment, tban for you. 

23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt 
be brought down to hell : for if the mighty works, which have been 
done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until 
this day. 

24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the 
land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee. 

Jesus rebuked sin and we are commanded to do the same 
(See 2 Tim. 4:2). Those who will not repent ought to be re- 
buked, and warned of their awful danger. He now began to up- 
braid those Galilean cities, where his mighty works had been 
done, because they did not repent. These cities, Chorazin, Beth- 
saida and Capernaum were in Galilee where he had worked his 
mighty miracles. From this time on, his preaching changed. He 
no longer gave his time to preaching repentance and the coming 
kingdom but began to preach the terrors of the law. His warn- 
ings came to be more frequent and more terrible. Many who talk 
or think of Christ as the model preacher forget to imitate him 
in declaring the threatenings of God against sin. He pronounced 
these judgments on these cities because they did not repent after 
seeing his miracles. This shows that the object of the miracles 
of Christ was to bring men to repentance. Some say, "If we had 
lived in the time of Christ and seen his mighty miracles we would 
have believed. ' ' But all who lived in his time and saw his 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 155 

miracles did not believe. Men hate to give up sin and will make 
almost any excuse to live in it. This is another of the many- 
evidences of their depraved condition. They loved sin and re- 
fused the light. ''He does not say because they believed not? 
for some kind of faith (belief?) many of them had, as that 
Christ was a teacher come from God: but because they repented 
not, their faith (belief?) did not prevail to the transformation of 
their hearts and the reformation of their lives'' (Henry). If the 
object of his miracles was to cause men to forsake sin in that day, 
certainly the infallible proofs that we have in the very existence 
of the Christian religion (which is the miracle of the ages) makes 
us without excuse, if we fail to repent, for Christianity itself is 
the greatest of miracles. If they were without excuse, how 
about the people of this day, in our cities, who have greater light 
than they had. It may be truly said of us as of them that, "It 
shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in 
the judgment" than for sinners who live in a Christian dispensa- 
tion and refuse to repent. "There are those who maintain that 
miracles, even if performed are no proof of a divine message. 
But this is contrary to common sense as well as Scripture. Man- 
kind fully believes with their ordinary common sense that if a 
man, in the name of God, perform undoubted miracles he is a mes- 
senger of God. Such is the doctrine of our Lord in this and many 
other passages" (Whedon). It would "be more tolerable for 
Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for Chorazin and 
Bethsaida. ' ' Jesus was continually making these comparisons be- 
tween heathendom and those who are favored with gospel light. 
Is it not just as true today that it will be more tolerable for the 
heathen than for those who refuse to repent in Christian lands? 
Who knows but that the reason there is so little revival in Chris- 
tian lands today and so much in heathen lands is because the 
convicting Spirit has left us to a great extent, because in the 
face of these solemn verities so many are only playing at reli- 
gion? Is God leaving the American church because they have 
ceased preaching repentance? God says: "My Spirit will not al- 
ways strive with men. ' ' Tyre and Sidon were heathen cities. 

The ground of condemnation is not that men do not repent, 
but because they refuse to repent. They had rather be wrong 



156 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

than pay the price of turning from sin. Notice the words "more 
tolerable." It means that there are degrees of punishment in the 
world of the lost, and those who have been damned from Christian 
lands will have a worse punishment than the heathen. 

We are convinced that the holiness preachers, like Jesus, must 
preach on repentance and must preach on it more than they do, 
or themselves come under condemnation (See our note on Matt. 
10:15). "And thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven." 
The Eev. Ver. and the best manuscripts render it: "And thou 
Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven?" Capernaum was 
the city where some of his mightiest miracles were performed 
(See Ch. 9). Sodom was the type of wickedness in the ancient 
world and the prophets of the Old Testament were continually 
referring to it as such. Notice Sodom was not destroyed acci- 
dentally or from natural causes but as a punishment for its sins. 
God punishes nations as nations in this world, but in the world 
to come he deals with individuals. He shows too that there is 
no fatalism with God, for if Sodom had repented "it would have 
remained until this day. ' ' He shows too that He can see into 
the future for he tells just what shall happen to this city. In 
the Judgment it will have a worse fate than Sodom, that city 
of abominable uncleanness. It is said that the name and remains 
of Sodom are to be found on the shore of the Dead Sea today, 
but even the site of Capernaum can not be found. Capernaum at 
one time was the most flourishing city of Galilee. This is a 
type of the punishment of sinners in the future world. The 
lesson here especially for us is that we must not only be ready 
ourselves but we must warn others to flee the wrath to come. 



HOLY PEOPLE WITH JESUS REJOICE AT THE SPIRITUAL 
WISDOM FOUND AMONG THE HUMBLE. Vs. 25-27. 

25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O 
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things 
from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes. 

26 Even so, Father : for so it seemed good in thy sight. 

27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father : and no man 
knoweth the Son, but the Father ; neither knoweth any man the 
Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 157 

Jesus now turns from the prediction of woes upon the incor- 
rigible to give praise to the humble. "At that time Jesus 
answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and 
earth. ' ' It is very significant that at the very time he was de- 
nouncing an impenitent church, he thanks his Father that there 
are some who see the spirituality of the kingdom he had come 
to set up. Thank God, there are those who will hear the message 
if others do not. And they have been mostly among the humble 
of the earth and not the high and lofty, as the world calls them. 
As Paul says, "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world 
to confound the mighty" (1 Cor. 1:27). God confounds or puts 
to shame the so called wise people by the spiritual wisdom of the 
humble. His gospel, as a rule, has flourished among the lowly of 
earth as a class. He cares little for what men call greatness. The 
reason men do not see spiritual truth is because their eye is not 
single (See Matt. Ch. 6; 22:23). Inbred sin and a love for sin- 
ning hinder spiritual vision. Spiritual things are spiritually dis- 
cerned. "The carnal heart however sagacious in carnal things, 
understands not the chings of the Spirit" (Whedon). Many of 
the great scholars, like Nicodemus, know nothing about the 
new birth. There are many of them too that do not know of the 
second blessing. But their ignorance of it proves nothing except 
that they do not have it. We must therefore not be disheartened 
or dismayed if many of the so called big people do not know of, 
and disapprove of, entire sanetification. They have not the spir- 
itual sense sufficient to know it. This is the reason some of them 
have, to their own satisfaction, argued that we can not be cleansed 
from all sin, when many of God's little ones have the experience. 
Jesus said the same thing when the Seventy came back from their 
evangelistic tour (See Luke 10:21). Spiritual things, in the na- 
ture of the case, are hidden from unspiritual people, no matter 
however wise they may think themselves, because they have no 
spiritual faculty to perceive them. This is so ordained because it 
is good. Our heavenly Father does what he does, because he is 
good and always does that which is good. This is the divine 
rule of working. He does everything because it is good and every- 
thing that he does is good. 

God has delivered to Jesus the administration of the whole plan 



158 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

of salvation. He is the Euler of the kingdom of heaven. Conse- 
quently he says * ' all things are delivered unto me of my Father. ' ' 
This power originated with the Father. One word wrongly ren- 
dered by the translators here makes a great difference in the sense. 
The Common Version says, "No man knoweth the Son." It 
should be and is correctly rendered in the Eevised Version, "No 
one knoweth the Son but the Father. ' ' It means more than man. 
It means that neither angels nor archangels nor any created be- 
ings know or understand the mysterious nature of Jesus Christ. 
No theology can explain it. This teaches his deity. But on. the 
other hand those know God to whom Jesus reveals him, for He 
alone knows God. There is such a thing as being acquainted with 
God in the sense of acquaintance with Him in the soul. Jesus 
is the revelation of God He tells us in John 14:15-24, how we 
may know Him. And this is the reason that the babes (those 
of humble position in His kingdom, may know him. It is by 
spiritual revelation. 

THE INVITATION TO THE DOUBLE SALVATION. 

Vs. 28-30. 

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I 
will give you rest. 

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me ; for I am meek and 
lowly in heart : and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 

Having announced that all things of the administration of the 
kingdom of God are submitted to him and that the truths of this 
spiritual kingdom are revealed to the lowly in heart, he gives 
therefore a most gracious invitation to the weary hearted children 
of men. Mankind are weary. In the days of Christ they were 
doubly weary. Sin had put its galling yoke on them and then 
the Pharisees, the ruling class, had bound the heavy yoke of 
religious ceremonies upon them also. He speaks with authority 
when he says that he is authorized to give men rest of soul from 
the bondage of sin. Men are trying in every way to find rest, but 
this divine One is the only being who can give rest of soul, from 
the heavy bondage of Satan and sin, which is far worse than 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 159 

Egyptian bondage. Notice it is not to the priest nor the sacraments 
but to Jesus that we are to go if we would have rest of soul. 
The yoke means service. We are to quit the service of sin, throw 
off the yoke of Satan and put on the yoke of Jesus and we shall 
have this rest of soul. This, every one finds, who really enters 
the service of Jesus. The converted man has rest given him. The 
yoke is for service. We are to enter the delightful service of Jesus. 
"And ye shall find rest unto your soul." Notice the difference 
between the words give of verse 28 and find of verse 29. Jesus 
gives rest to those who take his yoke and if they continue to bear 
it they find rest — another rest. Here are the two blessings of 
regeneration and sanctification outlined. Inbred sin is a yoke that 
Satan put on man at the Fall. It is still on the regenerate man 
so that the perfect rest of this invitation is to some extent marred. 
This is what Charles Wesley calls "The yoke of inbred sin." 
Satan put it on man to bind him, at the time of the Fall, but when 
we get on the yoke of Jesus and walk in the light clearly we shall 
come to the place where we shall find what Charles Wesley calls it, 
1 ' the second rest. ' ' Some of the commentators on this passage are 
yet "babes" in not understanding the spiritual experiences they 
do not yet possess, and have felt compelled to modify this great 
invitation to fit the experience of a regenerate heart, not yet free 
from the yoke of the carnal mind. One of them says on this 
passage "Owing to the conflict with evil which is ever incident 
to our corrupt nature, even under grace, the rest which Christ 
gives is yet to be viewed as a yoke and burden, seen on this its 
painful side, of conflict and sorrow: but it is a light yoke — an in- 
ner rest of soul giving a peace which passeth all understanding, 
and bearing up against all. ' ' This seems to modify the rest after 
all, and not make it so great and complete as Jesus says it is. 
But how can one be free and yet be carrying a yoke of bondage? 
Just as a loyal citizen obeys the law because he is a subject, 
while the man in the penitentiary obeys the law because he is 
compelled. "This is the love of God that we keep his com- 
mandments and his commandments are not grievous," says John. 
There is a complete rest of soul when we find that "second rest" 
where the Old Man has been cast out with all his goods. Adam 
Clarke says on this passage: "Penitents, burdened with the guilt 



160 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

of their crimes, may come to this Sacrifice and find instant pardon. 
Believers, sorely tempted and oppressed by the remains of the 
carnal mind, may come to this blood that cleanseth from all un- 
righteousness: and purified from all sin and powerfully succored 
in every temptation, they shall find uninterrupted rest in this com- 
plete Saviour. ' ' This invitation of Jesus is one of his paradoxical 
sayings. He tells a race, staggering like a weary man under the 
burdens of an awful task master, to come and take another yoke on 
them put there by one who is meek and lowly and the addition of 
that other yoke throws off the former grievous yoke. We feel that 
it was more than poetry when one of the saints of old said this 
yoke was so easy it was as if it had wings on it that lifted it up 
and made it have no weight at all. 






CHAPTER XII. 
THE VARIED CRITICISM WHICH HOLINESS MEETS. 

Holiness is Opposed to Legalism. Vs. 1-13. Holiness is the Em- 
bodiment of Gentleness as Illustrated by Jesus. Vs. 14-21. 
The Unpardonable Sin is Persistent Opposition to the Work 
of the Holy Spirit. Vs. 22-32. Depravity Shows Itself in Our 
Words. Vs. 33-37. Holiness Meets Insult and Skepticism. 
Vs. 38-42. Reformation Without Holiness is a Failure. Vs. 
43-45. The Bonds That Unite Holy People Are Stronger Than 
the Ties of Flesh and Blood. Vs. 46-50. 

HOLINESS IS OPPOSED TO LEGALISM. Vs. 1-13. 

1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn ; 
and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of 
corn, and to eat. 

2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, 
thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. 

3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when 
he was an hungred, and they that were with him ; 

4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shew- 
bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which 
were with him, but only for the priests? 

5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days 
the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 

6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than 
the temple. 

7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, 
and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 

8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. 

9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their syna- 
gogue : 

10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. 
And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath 
days? that they might accuse him. 

11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, 

161 



162 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath 
day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 

12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it 
is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. 

13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And 
he stretched it forth ; and it was restored whole, like as the other. 

This section opens with one of the many criticisms which 
the Pharisees had to offer against Christ and his disciples. No 
matter how holy or how far advanced we may be in piety, we must 
meet criticism, and criticism that often uses religion as a cover. 
When men do not like others they always have a way of finding 
fault. The contest betwen Jesus and the Pharisees was getting 
fiercer every day. His enemies were watching him at every 
point, for they had determined on his overthrow. When people 
are constantly finding fault with others, we may be assured that 
they do not like them. This is the real reason and not so much 
that the faults are glaring. It takes no grace at all to find fault. 
Any one can do that without any salvation. To be holy means to 
be a target, because holiness is a standing rebuke to sin wherever 
and whenever the two meet. 

The occasion of the contest here was because the disciples in 
passing through some fields of grain did that which the law al- 
lowed them to do. They took some of the stalks and rubbed 
them between their hands in order to get at the grain to satisfy 
their intense hunger. "By referring to Deuteronomy 23:25 we shall 
find that the Jewish law permitted this when a man was hungry. 
But they did it on the Sabbath Day and had not the Jewish 
Eabbins (not God) decreed that this was breaking the Sabbath. 
The Eabbins had got the Sabbath law down to a very fine point, 
as a day not of rest but of misery. Their rules were very minute. 
None might walk on the grass on the Sabbath because it would be 
bruised, which would be a kind of threshing; nor catch a flea 
which would be a kind of hunting; nor wear nailed shoes which 
would be a kind of burden; nor, if he fed his chickens, suffer any 
corn to lie on the ground, lest a kernel should germinate, which 
would be a kind of sowing" (Abbott). They considered this 
plucking of corn a kind of harvesting and consequently a viola- 
tion of the fourth commandment. These hypocrites pretended that 
they were very zealous for religion and the keeping of the com- 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 163 

mandments of God, but their religious zeal was really a cover 
for an opportunity to condemn Jesus. Inbred sin hates holi- 
ness and will do everything it can to wipe holy people off the face 
of the earth. They wished to have Jesus and his disciples stoned 
for breaking the Sabbath. "How often do men seem to be 
most religious when they are about to do the greatest wrong? 
Not that religion is to blame, but man's depraved heart is to 
blame, that makes use of the best thing wherewith to cover the 
worst practices" (Cumming). Jesus was ready for them with 
Scripture which they could not answer. He asks them: "Have ye 
not read what David did when he was hungered and they that 
were with him: how he entered the house of God and did eat 
the shew bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for 
them which were with him, but only for the priest?" The shew 
bread was twelve loaves put fresh on the table in the sanctuary 
every Sabbath (See 1 Sam. 21:6). As the bread had just been 
put on fresh when David took it, this shows that it was on the 
Sabbath. He showed that necessity allowed David to set aside 
the law of the Sabbath. The great law of necessity was greater. 
He then tells them that the priests in the temple work on the 
Sabbath, bearing the utensils through the temple and lighting the 
fires, etc. The service of the sanctuary was greater than the law 
of the Sabbath. The temple was greater than the law of the 
Sabbath. God approved of the setting aside of one law for an- 
other that was greater. And Jesus was even greater than the 
temple. Consequently service done for him is greater than the 
mere ceremonialism of keeping the Sabbath law. He then tells 
them, ' ' I will have mercy and not sacrifice. ' ' He had said the 
same thing before when they had found fault with Him for asso- 
ciating with publicans and sinners (Matt. 9:13). Legalists, in 
every generation, are very punctilious in the sacrifices that they 
are willing to make to keep the letter of the law and have 
very little use for the spirit of the law. He then goes on to say 
that "the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." He is 
the ruler of the Sabbath. He gave the command and if we seem 
to break it in genuine service for him we are serving One who 
is greater than the mere letter of his law. How many are great 
sticklers for the outward keeping of the Sabbath, who get no 



164 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

spiritual benefit from it. It is no spiritual blessing to them. 
Legalists in every generation magnify the letter of the law so 
much as to entirely fail to see the spiritual meaning of it. Mark 
says He also added, "the Sabbath is made for man and not 
man for the Sabbath. ' ' It was not intended to be a day of misery 
but of blessing. A holy day in which we might ripen in holiness 
and fitness for the Sabbath of eternity. Christ did not abolish 
the Sabbath but he gave a spiritual meaning to it that it had 
never had before. Let us see to it that when we remember the 
Sabbath day to keep it holy, we do not fall into the error of a. 
mere ceremonialism, but make it a day of soul rest and advance- 
ment. Let us remember that legalism is not holiness. We may be 
so taken up with the idea that we must do this and we must do 
the other that instead of inner heart holiness we become only a 
bundle of legalism, seeking to be saved by works. The Sabbath 
is to be a rest from everything but the love in the heart that 
works for the glory of God and the good of man. 

But Jesus did not stop there. He might have let the matter 
rest, but from thence he went into the synagogue and continued 
the battle by healing a man who had a hand that had withered 
up through paralysis. He healed him on the Sabbath day. He 
might just as well have waited until the next day and avoided 
the controversy with the Scribes and Pharisees on the Sabbath 
question. But he brought on the battle still fiercer. It is our 
duty at times not only to act on the defensive but also on 
the offensive and bring on the battle. We are to defend the 
truth by attacking error. The enemy was there watching him to 
see if He would heal this man on the Sabbath. They were trying 
to make it appear that He did this miracle by the influence of 
Satan and so they watch him so as to make it appear that he 
had broken the fourth commandment, and hence was in the employ 
of Satan. God had never forbidden man to take medicine or to 
have a physician on the Sabbath but the Eabbins had added this 
law to God 's law, 1 1 Let not those that are not in health use physid 
on the Sabbath Day." So they asked him if it was lawful to 
heal on the Sabbath Day. He asked them a question in return 
which they could not answer. He asked them if a man had a sheep 
that fell into a pit on the Sabbath would he not take it out? 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 165 

This was a condition that doubtless the doctors of the law had not 
thought of before. They had made no law for such an emergency. 
So they could not answer in the negative. He then clinches his 
unanswerable argument thus, ' ' How much better is a man than a 
sheep?" It is said that up to this time there had been no law 
to cover such a case, but after this the Eabbins forbade the owner 
of a beast, that might have fallen into a pit, from removing 
it on the Sabbath. The way then to use the Sabbath is the way 
that will be of the highest good to mankind. 

He then gave a practical illustration of the influence and 
attitude of the will in our salvation. A man was in the syn- 
agogue, who had lost the use of his hand. There is a peculiar 
and very intimate relation between the will and the muscular 
system. No one can explain how, by an act of the will, we 
can move our muscles in any given way. This man had lost that 
link that connected the will and the muscle. When he willed to put 
out his hand it would not obey his will. But when Jesus said, 
1 ' Stretch forth thine hand, ' ' he willed to do so, and Jesus supplied 
the missing link and the hand obeyed his will. There are things 
as difficult in the spiritual world as the moving of that dead 
hand. For instance God says, "Be ye holy." We have no power 
in ourselves to become holy. But if we will to be holy with our 
whole being he will supply the power. We do not have to urge him 
in order that He be persuaded to make us holy. He was persuaded 
thousands of years ago. But if we will with all our being to 
be holy, he will supply the missing power and make us holy. 
Notice that Jesus did this instantly. So can he make the soul 
holy instantly. He did it with a word, not by any act. So the 
Pharisees could not accuse him of performing any act and break- 
ing the Sabbath. To be holy is no more impossible than was the 
healing of this man's hand. Who can doubt it? 

HOLINESS IS THE EMBODIMENT OF GENTLENESS, AS 
ILLUSTRATED BY JESUS. Vs. 14-21. 

14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against 
him, how they might destroy him. 

15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence : 
and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all ; 



166 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

16 And charged them that they should not make him known : 

17 That it might he fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the 
prophet, saying, 

18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen ; my beloved, in 
whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and 
he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. 

19 He shall not strive, nor cry ; neither shall any man hear his 
voice in the streets. 

20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he 
not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. 

21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. 

Instead of being convinced by this miracle, the enemies of our 
Lord became more bitter. Miracles are wasted on the uncandid. 
But Jesus gave them light so that they will be without excuse 
in the Judgment. As they could not answer him, they got to- 
gether for the first time and took counsel how to get rid of him. 
He was getting to be a troubler to them. He was getting the 
confidence of the people and the Pharisees did not want to lose 
their hold on them. This is often the cause of the opposition of 
eeclesiasticism to spiritual truth. When the people go after the 
truth it hurts them to lose their following. The arch infidel of 
America some years ago said: "Show us a miracle and we will 
believe. ' ' The men of Jesus ' day saw his miracles but refused 
to believe. It is impossible to convince men who are determined 
not to be convinced. They pretended to hold the Sabbath very 
sacred, and here they were right on the Sabbath plotting to take 
the life of one whose arguments they could not answer. They were 
the real Sabbath breakers, instead of Jesus whom they had accused 
of breaking the Sabbath. When some people cannot answer argu- 
ment they often use stratagem or force. It shows a poor cause 
that has no arguments but force and stratagem. 

"When Jesus knew this he withdrew himself from thence." 
We are not informed that any one told him. He probably knew 
what was going on without any outside information. He with- 
drew as a matter of discretion. He had told his disciples when 
they were persecuted in one city to flee to another. And he is 
here doing the same thing himself. Great multitudes followed 
him and he healed their sick and charged them not to make him 
known. In some instances he wished to be known and in others 
he did not (See Matt. 8:4 and Mark 5:19). He did not wish to 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 167 

bring on the final clash with the Pharisees as yet. So hereafter 
he, who came to do men good must work more in secret. This 
removal of Jesus from conflict and His quiet and gentle spirit 
reminded Matthew of a prophecy of the Messiah given by Isaiah 
centuries before (See Isa. 42:1-4). Perfect love is always gentle 
even when it has to stand firmly for the truth. Jesus did not seek 
strife. It was said that ' ' He shall not strive. ' ' His kingdom 
would win its way against the fiercest of his enemies by its mild- 
ness. Jesus denounced sin, but as a rule avoided debate and con- 
troversy. His attacks on error were made by stating the truth. 

A reed is a very frail thing. It is usually the growth of one 
season. It may be easily bruised even when not broken off short. 
The usual lamp was a piece of flax floating in a dish of oil. When 
almost put out it emits a smoke. These are two emblems of weak- 
ness. Though the individual be as weak as these two emblems yet 
if he have even the least desire to be saved or have only a spark 
of life or desire to be good, the Lord will encourage him and will 
seek to bind him up with his compassion, even as a bruised reed 
may be bound up, or he will cherish that least spark of desire to 
be good, in the soul. Jesus is the sinner 's friend, no matter how 
feeble or humble he may be. He will have this solicitude for 
sinful humanity until he "send forth judgment unto victory." 
That is until the Judgment Day. Probation will not cease until 
then. All holy people, like Jesus, will seek to encourage those 
who have the faintest desire to be good and flee from sin. What 
compassion Jesus had for sinners! It was only hypocrites that he 
ever denounced, like the Scribes and Pharisees. This is the glory 
of our Christ. It is the glory of those who are Christ like. "He 
who holds not a hand to the sinner, nor carries the burden for his 
brother, breaks the bruised reed; who despises the spark of faith 
in a little one extinguishes the smoking flax" (St. Jerome). We 
see how tenderly then we ought to preach and teach and persuade 
sinners. Wholesale denunciations are entirely out of place. 

' ' And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. ' ' This is one of 
the many instances where Isaiah prophesied that the Christ was to 
go beyond the Jewish nation and become the Saviour of all nations. 



168 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

THE UNPARDONABLE SIN IS PERSISTENT OPPOSITION 
TO THE WORK OF THE HOLY GHOST. Vs. 22-32. 

22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, 
and dumb : and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb 
both spake and saw. 

23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the 
son of David? 

24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth 
not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 

25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every 
kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation ; and every 
city or house divided against itself shall not stand : 

26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; 
how shall then his kingdom stand? 

27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your 
children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom 
of God is come unto you. 

29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and 
spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he 
will spoil his house. 

30 He that is not with me is against me ; and he that gathereth 
not with me scattereth abroad. 

31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy 
shall be forgiven unto men ; but the blasphemy against the Holy 
Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 

32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it 
shall be forgiven him : but whosoever speaketh against the Holy 
Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither 
in the world to come. 

Commentators are not agreed whether the following incident 
took place immediately after the healing of the man, with the 
withered hand or not. There was brought to him a man, who was 
possessed with a devil and who was also blind and dumb. This 
was a remarkable combination of evils. But it was not too hard 
for Jesus. He healed him so that the devil was cast out and the 
man both spoke and saw. The amazed people said, "Is not this 
the Son of David." This was the title given the Messiah. The 
unprejudiced people saw the Messiah in Jesus. The common peo- 
ple often see ahead of spiritually dead ecclesiastics. Dr. John 
Cumming says: "If you desired to obtain the truest exposition 
of the Word of God, I doubt whether the council or the convoea- 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 169 

tion could give it. In such a case I would rather select a jury 
of twelve pious, honest men, who never were at college, and 
knew no Greek or Latin, and they would certainly give a more 
honest, if not a more learned interpretation of a passage of 
God 's holy word. ' All the people were amazed ' while the Pharisees 
were exasperated, and the people said, 'Is not this the Son of 
David?' They called no council against him. How remarkable 
it is, that in the large heart of humanity itself, there is a sort 
of round-about large common sense, that showed itself often in 
the days of our Lord, and breaks out still. ' ' We have thought 
in these days when destructive criticism has weakened the faith 
of the church in the only standard it has — the Bible, that may 
be the common people will have to arise and take the Bible out 
of the hands of the triflers and infidels among the so called 
scholars. 

So while the common people, who always heard Jesus gladly, 
recognized and acknowledged his Messiahship, the Pharisees ac- 
cused him of being possessed of a devil who gave him power 
to cast out devils and heal unfortunates. What a self contradic- 
tory and consequently ridiculous accusation. They accused him, 
who came to cast out devils, of working in league with devils. 
Would that this was the last time such blasphemies were uttered. 
If the Holy Ghost is working today and men charge his work to 
Satanic influences are they not committing the same sin? It is a 
very serious thing to charge the work of holiness today to Satanic 
influence. Occasionally we hear of ecclesiastics, who say they had 
rather have the devil at work on their districts than these holiness 
workers. We do not say they blaspheme against the Holy Ghost. 
But suppose that these workers who are honestly working in the 
name of the Holy Spirit should really be what they profess to be; 
and suppose the Holy Spirit should be really with them working, 
would it not be a terrible thing if such opposers were really fight- 
ing the Holy Spirit and attributing his work to the devil or even 
declaring it worse? How careful men ought to be in opposing 
any one. Stephen told his enemies: "Ye do always resist the 
Holy Ghost as did your fathers. ' ' They were opposing the work 
of the Holy Ghost. We believe that any work that the Holy 
Ghost honors by regenerating sinners is the work that carries its 



170 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

own proof of its divinity. The modern holiness movement has been 
preeminently used of The Spirit to convert sinners as well as to 
sanctify believers. To fight against it seems like fighting against 
God and we do not wonder at the numerous instances on record 
of those, bitter enemies to this work, who have been suddenly 
cut off. 

So when the Pharisees heard of this last miracle they instantly 
said, "This man doth not cast out devils but by Beelzebub, the 
prince of devils. ' ' They acknowledged that mighty power was 
displayed but attributed it to the power of what they considered 
the mightiest devil there was. Jesus knew their hearts. He was 
not the least disconcerted. He does not flash with indignation, 
but calmly and (it seems to us, with a calmness that must have 
provoked them), proceeds to show the absurdity of their accusa- 
tion. The accusations that are usually made against the holy are 
ridiculous when carefully analyzed. He makes an unanswerable 
statement, ' ' Every kingdom divided against itself can not stand. ' ' 
Satan is not such a fool as to help cast out devils, thus fighting 
against himself. Jesus teaches that there is a Satan and that 
he has a kingdom. The Pharisees believed that too. They are 
ahead of some, who do not believe there is a devil or a satanic 
kingdom. There must be some unity in it or it would not be a 
kingdom. And however much devils may fight among themselves 
they will never turn on each other so much as to help men. The 
kingdom of Satan is united in one respect — to work all the mischief 
it can to men. In Acts 19:13-14, we find that there were Jews 
who pretended to cast out devils. Now, if Jesus cast out devils 
by the help of the devil, who helped these Jews whom he called 
"Your sons?" All the works of Jesus — all his miracles — had been 
done to do good. That is not the work of the devil. Strange that 
they should so stultify themselves. If the power of God was the 
cause of the miracles then the kingdom of God was among them 
and they were fighting the kingdom of God. Who could answer 
such reasoning? Or if the kingdom of God had not come "how 
can one enter into a strong man 's house and spoil his goods. ' ' 
"How can I east out devils except I have first bound the prince 
of the devils, ' ' is his thought. It was irresistible logic which they 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 111 

could not gainsay. He bad a power greater than that of devils. 
He was therefore divine. 

He can enter into the heart and cast out the devil and all his 
goods, which, of course, means all sin. He then lays down a prin- 
ciple which still applies, "He that is not with me is against me: 
and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad. ' ' He means 
that there are but two parties in the universe: those who belong- 
to him or those who belong to Satan. There is no middle ground. 
There is no neutrality in this great fight. 

Every act of our lives is either helping Jesus in his kingdom 
or scattering ; that is, it is against his kingdom. Satan 's kingdom 
is as opposite to the Kingdom of God as darkness is to light. 

"All manner of blasphemy shall be forgiven men: but the 
blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." 
This is the unpardonable sin. In order to fuller light we must in- 
quire what is blasphemy. We must interpret the sin against the 
Holy Ghost as illustrated by the conduct of these Pharisees. How 
does the definition of blasphemy apply to their case? 1. This sin 
was committed here, not by the sinful world but by ecclesiastical 
leaders — those in the church. It was the Scribes and Pharisees 
who made these accusations. 2. It was malignant opposition that 
showed its malignity in the fact that it was absurd. No one of 
any sense could believe that Satan would cast out Satan. This 
bitterness passed the bounds of reason. 3. It was a malignant 
opposition that sinned thus in the face of the clearest light. It 
had seen the miracles of Jesus. It had acknowledged that he had 
great power. It had seen that all his works were works of charity 
and kindness to mankind. But in the face of all this it refused 
to believe, but was actually hostile, seeking to destroy him. 4. It 
was a slander of the Holy Ghost. The word blaspheme means to 
reproach or slander. They slandered the Holy Ghost. 

From all this we gather that the sin against the Holy Ghost 
is to slander what he does through his agents, and minify or stig- 
matize that work. Petei says that "God anointed Jesus of Naza- 
reth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing 
good, and healing all that were oppressed with the devil: for God 
was with him. ' ' These churchmen denominated the work of the 
Holy Ghost, the work of the devil. We must therefore believe 



172 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

that the sin against the Holy Ghost is not that of impenitent sin- 
ners but of those in ecclesiastical authority and place, who have 
had great light and yet slander the Holy Ghost by making light 
of and attributing his work to evil agency. What is the great work 
of the Holy Spirit today? It is casting out Satan and his goods — 
sin. We answer in the words of Dr. Whedon on this passage, 
' ' God, the Holy Ghost, is Deity, specially in his sanctifying person- 
ality, going forth as a Spirit of purity, making his trials to win 
and assimilate men to his own pure nature." In other words, 
the work and movement that brings the experience of holiness 
to men is the special work of the Holy Spirit in this generation. 
If this be true (and it is) then the sin against the Holy Ghost 
is that malignity on the part of ecclesiastical leaders that causes 
them to look at the miracles which the Holy Ghost has wrought 
in sanctifying people and yet attributing it to fanaticism, crank- 
ism or insanity and even at times attributing it to insanity. It 
is slandering the Holy Ghost by slandering his work. In this 
connection we have this from Lyman Abbott, "I conclude then, 
that by blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, Christ 's auditors would 
understand, not a hardness of heart, a state of wilful, determined, 
obdurate sin, though only out of it could it spring; nor every kind 
of evil speaking against the Third Person in the Trinity or the 
divine nature and office of Christ, but Treason by the professed 
members of the kingdom of God against the Great Executive, the 
Spirit of God, manifested in this instance by wilfully confound- 
ing the two kingdoms of good and evil, God and Satan, and at- 
tributing to the diabolical agency of the latter the blessed opera- 
tions in merciful healing wrought by the latter. But all wilful, 
wanton, determined opposition to the work of the Holy Spirit, 
either in others' hearts or our own, especially when engaged in by 
those who profess allegiance to the Holy Ghost, approximate this 
sin. ' ' This, it seems to us, is akin to that spoken of in Heb. 
6:4-6 of those who had once been enlightened and then deliber- 
ately become fighters of the work of the Holy Spirit. This is the 
sin unto death of which John speaks (1 John 5:16). We are not 
talking of ignorance or unbelief in the sanctifying power of the 
Holy Spirit, but of the malignity that interprets all his. gracious 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 173 

work of sanetification to evil and ridicules it as insanity, fanati- 
cism or regards it as diabolical. - 

There is no passage which the devil has used more to discour-. 
age despondent people than this of the unpardonable sin. He has 
told many a humble soul that he has committed the unpardonable 
sin, to persuade him to cast away his confidence. The fact is, 
no one ever has a desire to be saved except that desire was put 
in his heart by the Holy Spirit, who alone can convict of our need. 
Therefore the man who desires to be saved is the man whom the 
Holy Spirit has not left to his destruction. The very anxiety some 
people feel, lest they may have committed the unpardonable sin, 
is one of the best evidences that they have not. For the soul that 
has no feeling on the subject is the only soul that has been aban- 
doned by the Holy Spirit. The man to be most alarmed in this 
case is the man who is not alarmed. A man may be ignorant of 
the truth, but to be bitter against the work of the Holy Spirit 
shows that he has not the Spirit, for he who has the Spirit never 
fights the things of the Spirit. The devil himself can be no more 
malignant against the work of holiness than some professed Chris- 
tians. 

DEPRAVITY SHOWS ITSELF IN OUR WORDS. Vs. 33-37. 

33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good ; or else make 
the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt : for the tree is known by 
his fruit. 

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good 
things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 

35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth 
forth good things : and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth 
forth evil things. 

36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall 
speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words 
thou shalt be condemned. 

We have come to the day when the doctrine of depravity has 
come to be denied even in some of the churches that are called 
evangelical. The doctrine of depravity is the foundation on which 
the Christian religion is based, for if man has not a depraved 
nature then he needs no salvation. John Fletcher says, ' ' In every 



174 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

religion there is a principle of truth or error which, like the first 
link of a chain, necessarily draws after it all the parts with which 
it is essentially connected. This leading principle in Christianity, 
distinguished from Deism, is the doctrine of our corrupt and lost 
estate. For if man it not at variance with his Creator, what need 
of a Mediator between God and man? If he is not a depraved 
and undone creature, what necessity of so wonderful a Kestorer 
and Saviour as the Son of God? If he is not enslaved to sin, 
why is he to be redeemed by Jesus Christ? If he is not polluted, 
why must he be washed in the blood of the immaculate Lamb? 
If his soul is not disordered, what occasion is there for such a 
Divine Physician?" 

The most prominent attack on the doctrine of depravity that 
has yet been made in this country, and also on the great spiritual 
movement of the age known as the Holiness movement, has been 
made by Huntington. He asserts the Pelagian doctrine that there 
is no sinful nature but that all sin is in the will. Jesus says here, 
' ' the tree is known by his fruit ; ' ' there is quality in the tree. 
The tree that brings forth evil fruit does so because it is an evil 
tree. He uses this expression, of course, in a figurative sense to 
denote the depraved nature of man back of the will that causes 
him to will wrong acts and words. Jesus says of these opponents, 
who have been saying hard things about him and his works, ' l How 
can ye being evil, speak good things?" He recognizes an evil 
nature behind the tongue, independent of the will, which prevents 
their speaking good things. Here then we have, according to Jesus, 
an evil nature behind man that prevents him willing good things. 
We like the theology of Jesus better than that of man. Dr. 
Whedon attacks this error of Pelagianism thus, in his note on this 
passage, " There is a sort of religious doctrine that teaches that 
men are not depraved in their natures, but only in their actions. 
Their nature back of their actions, it is claimed, is either inno- 
cent or it is neutral — neither good nor bad; and all of human 
depravity consists in the fact that men dk> freely act bad, and 
always will do so. Now, in opposition to this doctrine, our Lord 
teaches that there is in men a moral nature back of the moral 
action: just as the tree is back of the fruit, just as the fountain 
is back of the stream and just as the treasury, full of good and 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 175 

evil, is drawn from by the owner. It follows from this fact of 
man's fallen moral nature, that in order to be pure in life, he must 
become pure in heart. There must be a change in heart in order 
that there should be a complete change in moral action. This does 
not deny that in individual acts (as in the fall of angels or man) 
their free will may choose wrong from a right nature. But in 
their permanent history the action and the character will conform 
to each other." Matthew Henry says, "Let the heart be sancti- 
fied and it will appear in our words." What is the connection 
of this with the previous verses that speak of the unpardonable 
sin? It is this. Jesus shows them, who had accused him of casting 
out devils through the power of Beelzebub, that they were not 
consistent. They should either say it was a bad thing to cast out 
devils from men, or else they should acknowledge the power that 
does it to be good, because good actions spring from a good source. 
And in their own case it was not merely the speaking against the 
work of the Holy Ghost which was bad, but they were evil within 
and that was what led them to speak evil words. For ' ' out of the 
abundance (or overflow) of the heart the mouth speaketh. " He 
then goes on to say, ' ' every idle word that men shall speak they 
shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." The word 
"idle" is from the Greek word here, which means "empty" or 
that which accomplishes nothing. Any word that has no profit in 
it. This does not exclude words of humor or wit that may please 
or add enjoyment, but it means words that are spoken for no good 
purpose and produce no profit either moral or spiritual. Notice 
God is noting every word we speak. 

"It is not meant by this the prattle of the mother to her child, 
or of children among themselves, or that all the pleasures of social 
life are in themselves evil: to be condemned because they do not 
tend to some special religious or pecuniary end. They give play 
to the pleasant and cheerful emotions which are a part of the 
rightful human happiness. They develop the faculties and physio- 
logically quicken the vital circulation, and are necessary to health 
of both body and of mind. Only he requires that they be regu- 
lated by good sense, decency and moderation: for let it be remem- 
bered they are to all pass God's judgment trial, to be condemned 
if evil, and thereby to condemn us." "For by thy words thou 



176 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." 
Our words are good or evil according to the purpose and intent 
of our hearts. They all determine our guilt in the Judgment. 
for our words are the vindicators of our hearts. St. James says, 
' ' If any man off endeth not in word the same is a perfect man. ' ' 
We need then a pure heart in order to talk right, or as a help 
towards right speech. For if we are evil like the Pharisees our 
talk will be evil. 

HOLINESS MEETS INSULT AND SKEPTICISM. Vs. 38-42. 

38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, 
saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 

39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous 
generation seeketh after a sign ; and there shall no sign be given to it, 
but the sign of the prophet Jonas : 

40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's 
belly ; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the 
heart of the earth. 

41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this genera- 
tion, and shall condemn it : because they repented at the preaching 
of Jonas ; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. 

42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with 
this generation, and shall condemn it : for she came from the utter- 
most parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and, behold, 
a greater than Solomon is here. 

Some of the Pharisees having heaped reproach on him by calling 
him "this fellow" (Vs. 24). Another party now try flattery and 
address him as "Master" and ask him in a respectful manner, 
* ( Master, we would see a sign from thee. ' ' Mark says they asked 
a sign from heaven (See Mark 8:11). They wanted an evidence 
of some power outside of himself, as much as to say, "the devil 
healed this man. We want a more convincing proof of your power. ' ' 
It was an insolent demand. It was only an excuse, for had they 
not seen his miracles just then of the casting out of the devil 
and the cure of the blind and dumb man. Jesus never performed 
miracles to satisfy people 's curiosity. They who have enough light 
need not expect any more. Luke says that they made this demand 
' l tempting him. ' ' His reply was that the only sign that should be 
given them was his resurrection after he had lain in the grave 
three days, just as Jonah had lain three days in the belly of the 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 177 

great sea monster. Note the following lessons from this state- 
ment: (1) The resurrection of Jesus was the great sign or mira- 
cle of his Messiahship, his deity and the truth of the Christian sys- 
tem. (2) Jesus was, during part of three days, in the tomb. 
The Jews in such cases reckoned the part of a day as the full day, 
in speaking of such periods of time. (3) Jesus prophecies his 
resurrection. They would have an opportunity to wait and see 
if it took place. (4) Jesus endorses the story of Jonah which is 
so much ridiculed and denied. Some of today, even in evangelical 
churches, say the story of Jonah was only an allegory. But if it 
was then the resurrection of Jesus was an allegory. For he says, 
"As Jonah was three days and three nights in ... so shall 
the Son of man be ... in the heart of the earth. " If Jonah 
was in the monster's belly only allegorically, then was Christ in 
the tomb only allegorically. Destroy the Old Testament miracles 
and you destroy the miracles of the New Testament. (5) As 
Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites that they should repent so was 
Jesus a sign to the Jews that they should repent. The people of 
that heathen city, Nineveh, repented and in the Judgment they 
would condemn the Jews, who had Jesus, a greater than Jonah, 
and therefore they had more light. This passage in Matthew is 
the only place where it says that a whale swallowed Jonah. In 
other places it says a great fish or sea monster. The word trans- 
lated "whale" here should be translated a great fish. It 
does not state what kind of a fish it was. So we must accept the 
story of Jonah or admit that Jesus deceived us for he says the 
monster swallowed Jonah. He still further cites them to the com- 
ing of the queen of the South to hear the wisdom of Solomon. 
This was undoubtedly the Queen of Sheba who came to visit Solo- 
mon (See 1 Kings 10:1-13). She came a great distance to see 
Solomon and they had one greater than Solomon right in their 
midst. Jesus here claims to be greater than Solomon the wisest 
man and most royal king. Either Jesus was all he professed to 
be or he was an imposter. But all classes today who review his 
life say he was a good man. If he was a good man he told the 
truth. He was divine then. 



178 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

EEFOEMATION WITHOUT HOLINESS IS A FAILUKE. 
Vs. 43-45. 

43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh 
through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 

44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I 
came out ; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and 
garnished. 

45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits 
more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there : and 
the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it 
be also unto this wicked generation. 

Jesus then turned the tables on these Pharisees, who had ac- 
cused him of casting the devil out of the man by the power of the 
devil, and says, "You are the people, who have had the devil cast 
out of you, but he has returned with seven other devils." Verse 
45 shows that this is what he means by this parable, for he says, 
"Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation." The 
Pharisees had listened to John the Baptist who had been quite 
popular with them and had reformed them in a measure, but it 
was only a partial reformation. The unclean spirit had gone out 
of them and had gone through "Dry places" — places where there 
was no water and hence desert places. The Jews believed desert 
places were the homes of evil spirits. Some commentators think 
the reform of the Jewish nation from idolatry is meant. The evil 
spirit of idolatry had been cast out, but that was as far as they 
had gone after their return from the Babylonish captivity. For 
that captivity had cured them forever of idolatry. But they did 
not receive the true spirit of worship to take the place of the 
spirit of idolatry. And so they soon became the dwelling place 
of even worse spirits than those that had incited them to idolatry. 
All reformation is unstable and temporary and consequently short 
lived that does not make the heart right. The only permanent 
reformation is that that springs from a pure heart. 

THE BONDS THAT UNITE HOLY PEOPLE AEE STEONGEE 
THAN THE TIES OF FJLESH AND BLOOD. Vs. 46-50. 

46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, Ms mother and 
his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 179 

47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren 
stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 

48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is 
my mother? and who are my brethren? 

49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and 
said, Behold my mother and my brethren ! 

50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in 
heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. 

"While he was talking with the people." It seems that the 
Pharisees had left him and he was now talking to the common 
people, who always heard him gladly. While he was thus discours- 
ing his mother and brethren came on the scene and sought to in- 
terrupt him. Some one told him that they stood without desiring 
to speak with him. He replied, "Who is my mother? and who are 
my brethren?" It seems by this that Mary had not yet received 
and exercised the authority over him that the Eoman Catholic 
Church says she has. He did not stop his discourse for her. But 
he said that his true disciples were bound to him by stronger ties 
than those of flesh and blood. Not that he meant any want or 
lack of filial affection. But there were higher duties than even 
of natural affection. The first commandment in the decalogue is 
greater than the fifth. The greater takes preeminence and the 
lesser duty must give way. Nothing must stand in the way of the 
preaching of the gospel in which he was then engaged. He must 
not be interrupted. A man who is called to preach the gospel must 
not let flesh and blood hinder the great commission of declaring 
God's message. How many have let earthly ties keep them from 
preaching God's message to dying men. We must forsake all 
earthly ties that hinder when it comes to preaching God's word. 

What a great honor have they who do the will of God. They 
are nearer to Jesus even than the Virgin Mary. There is a bond 
between holy people which is stronger than the ties of flesh and 
blood. They understand each other better than the members of 
their own household understand them. 



CHAPTER XIII. 
PARABLES OF HOLINESS. 

Parable of the Sower. Holy People Bear Good and Abundant 
Fruit. Vs. 1-23. The Wheat and the Tares. We Can be Holy 
Among Sinners. Vs. 24-30. The Mustard Seed. Holiness 
Small and Despised in Its Beginnings, but Capable of Great 
Increase. Vs. 31-32. Parable of the Leaven. Holiness Ele- 
vates Society. Vs. 33. The Explanation of the Wheat and 
the Tares. Vs. 34-43. The Hid Treasure. Holiness is a Treas- 
ure of Increasing Value. Vs. 44. The Pearl of Great Price. 
Holiness is the Most Valuable of All Possessions. Vs. 45-46. 
The Net. The Separation of the Holy and Unholy in the 
Visible Church. Vs. 47-50. The Christian Teacher Must Not 
Despise the Old Doctrines While He Finds New Development 
of These Doctrines. Vs. 51-53. The Holy Man Rejected in His 
Own Home. Vs. 54-58. 

1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the 
sea side. 

2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so 
that he went into a ship, and sat ; and the whole multitude stood on 
the shore. 

3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, 
Behold, a sower went forth to sow ; 

4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the 
fowls came and devoured them up ; 

5 Seme fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth : 
and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of 
earth : 

6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched ; and because 
they had no root, tbey withered away. 

7 And some fell among thorns ; and the thorns sprung up, and 
choked them : 

8 But other fell into good ground and brought forth fruit, some 
an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 

9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

181 



182 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou 
unto them in parables? 

11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto 
you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, hut to them 
it is not given. 

12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall 
have more abundance : but whosoever hath not, from him shall be 
taken away even that he hath. 

13 Therefore speak I to them in parables : because they seeing see 
not : and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, 
By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand ; and seeing 
ye shall see, and shall not perceive : 

15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are 
dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed ; lest at any time 
they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should 
understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should 
heal them. 

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see : and your ears for 
they hear. 

17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous 
men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not 
seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not 
heard them. 

18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 

19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and under- 
standeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away 
that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed 
by the way side. 

20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he 
that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it ; 

21 Yet hath he not roof in himself, but dureth for a while : for 
when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and 
by he is offended. 

22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth 
the word ; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, 
choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that 
heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, 
and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 

The same day that Jesus had discoursed to the Pharisees about 
the unpardonable sin and had spoken the words of life to the 
common people, he went out of the house and preached to them 
again. This second sermon was a series of parables. Some people 
think they have and hear too much preaching. They say one 
sermon a day is enough to think over. But Jesus did not so think. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 183 

He gave the second sermon to rivet the first. We believe people 
had more religion when they had more preaching than where they 
now have less preaching. This second discourse was composed of 
parables. We do not know that we have all the parables, that he 
spoke that day, given here. Notice these parables were about the 
kingdom of heaven, for, as we have had occasion to say before, 
the gospel of the kingdom of heaven was the key to his ministry. 
The kingdom of heaven is a spiritual kingdom, set up in the hearts 
of men. Its essence is " Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy 
Ghost. ' ' We understand that this means righteousness in the Holy 
Ghost and peace in the Holy Ghost, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 
It is heart holiness, which makes the man right. It is the peace 
which passeth all understanding. It is joy that comes as the 
fruit of The Spirit. 

It is important then to know what a parable is and why Christ 
used parables. A parable is an illustration drawn from nature 
to show spiritual things. The word means literally a putting side 
by side of two truths — a truth from nature to illustrate the spir- 
itual truth with which it is associated. God has two kingdoms 
(nature and grace). He governs both by essentially the same laws, 
or at least he does not contradict himself in the two. Jesus often 
took a truth from nature to illustrate divine grace, or the working 
of the divine kingdom on earth. 

The object of parables was often to make men see unwelcome 
truth, who did not wish to see it or acknowledge it. For instance, 
Nathan, the prophet, went to David (2 Sam. 12:1-15) with the 
parable of the rich man who seized his neighbor's lamb and slew 
it. When Nathan had reached the climax of the parable, David 
became excited and declared, "As the Lord liveth, the man that 
hath done this is worthy of death. ' ' Then Nathan said, ' ' Thou 
art the man," and David saw it was a parable and he had pro- 
nounced judgment upon himself. If Nathan had come at him 
directly it is doubtful if he would have had an audience with him, 
or have been allowed to speak. A parable then is a method of 
bringing truth so clearly before people that they can not fail to 
see it. We see in Matt. 21:28-45 and Luke 10:29-37 that by the 
use of parables Jesus made the Pharisees condemn themselves. We 
believe the Christian teacher, especially when he preaches the un< 



184 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

palatable and unpopular doctrine of holiness and hell, can make 
excellent use of the parabolic form of teaching. 

Let us remember, too, before we take up the parables, that 
Jesus gave this instruction out of doors. Out door preaching is too 
little in vogue in these days. 

He said, "A sower vvent forth to sow." Every preacher, every 
class leader, every Sunday School teacher, yes, every one who uses 
the word of God is a sower. "The seed is the word of God" 
(Luke 8:11). This is a very striking comparison. David said in 
Psalm 19, verse 10, that the word of God was like gold, because 
of its great value. But this comparison of Jesus is still more apt 
and striking. The tiniest seed that lies neglected on the hard earth 
has in it something that all the gold in the world has not. It has 
a germ, a life principle. Plant gold and it will bring no crop, but 
plant the seed under favorable surroundings and it will produce 
something. Seeds that have laid dormant in the hands of Egyp- 
tian mummies for thousands of years have been planted and have 
produced plants. So is it with the word of God. Jesus said, 
"The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are 
life. " (John 6:63.) So the word of God planted in a nation, 
no matter how degraded it may be, will produce a new civilization, 
which has been again and again proved. The word of God planted 
in the human heart will produce a new life. Peter says, "Being 
born again, not of corruptible seed, but by the word of God, which 
liveth and abideth forever." No man can read the word of God 
honestly and with a sincere desire to be good without having a 
new experience or without being regenerated. He now describes 
four classes of hearers of the word of God. There are but four, 
and every one in this world who has heard the word of God is 
one of these four classes. 

The wayside hearers. "And when he sowed some fell by the 
wayside and the fowls came and devoured them up. ' ' In Eastern 
countries each farm or plantation is divided from that one lying 
next to it by pathways or roads, as the people are usually too 
poor to have fences or walls. These intervening pathways become 
hard by reason of the travel over them. As the seed fell on the 
soil, some of them fell out on the hard pathway, and lying ex- 
posed, the birds came and ate them up. These represent a class 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 185 

of hearers whose hearts are hard. Their hearts are a thoroughfare 
which Satan uses. As some one says, "A heart where Satan has 
ingress, egress, regress and progress: in a word, the devil's thor- 
oughfare. ' ' It refers to people who hear the truth and it makes 
no impression on them, or if a slight impression is made, Satan 
takes it away very soon. There are thousands who go to church 
quite regularly who will at last wake up without doubt in the lost 
world, because their hearts were hard and they refused to yield 
to the truth. Satan gets their mind on something else, as Luke 
has it (Luke 8:12), "lest they should believe and be saved." 
We believe it is the devil's business to get men's minds off the 
truth by wandering thoughts, the fashions, etc., in the house of 
God. 

(2) The stony ground hearers. Some of the seed fell "on 
stony places where they had not much earth. ' ' It was a thin coat- 
ing of soil underneath which was a ledge of stone. This repre- 
sents hearers, who have little depth of purpose or character. "And 
forthwith they sprung up because they had no depth of earth." 
They sprang up quickly because they had no depth of earth. They 
did not stop to count the cost but rushed into it precipitately. 
But notice these were in advance of the first class who did not re- 
ceive the word at all. Luke says (Luke 8:13), "Which for 
awhile believe." 

The plant sprang up too. There was some Christian experience, 
for the seed sprang up. He says further, "They withered away" 
when the sun was hot. Luke says, "In time of temptation fall 
away. ' ' They must have had something to fall away from. They 
backslid. Jesus says they fall away because they ' ' have no root. ' ' 
They had no determination of purpose. The root is that part of 
the plant that comes in contact with the moisture of the earth, 
as well as its nourishment. The will is that part of our nature 
that moves man to take hold on divine grace. We have seen people 
who had all the evidences of salvation who wilted when the first 
scorching temptation came upon them. They could not endure 
persecution or opposition or the blandishments of the world or 
lusts of the flesh and they went down. 

(3) The partially sanctified Christian. "And some fell among 
thorns and the thorns sprang up and choked them. ' ' Luke says, 



186 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

"the thorns sprang up with it." The thorn life and the good 
seed were growing in the heart at the same time. And the cares 
of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and 
he becometh unfruitful." Luke has it (Luke 8:14), they "are 
choked with cares, and riches, and pleasures of this life and bring 
no fruit to perfection." Luke says that the fruit is imperfect. 
' ' They bring no fruit to perfection. ' ' It is such a poor quality 
that it is virtually not much better than if entirely unfruitful. 
It has some times been said, ' ' Where does the Bible teach the 
theory of two natures in the regenerated believer?" Here is one 
of the numerous passages that teach this. The good seed in the 
heart and the evil seed (the thorns). The thorns are "the cares 
of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. ' ' These spring from 
the old thorn-bearing root of depravity in the heart. This is a 
mixed experience and is the experience of every one who has not 
been wholly sanctified. 

Notice this class is not like the second who fall away entirely, 
but they are choked so that their life amounts to but little. Their 
chief effort is to keep alive themselves and so they have nothing 
of fruitage for others. Whedon says, ' ' The seed is good, the soil 
is good, the growth is genuine, internally everything is right. But 
while all this is going well within there are difficulties without 
which in time prove fatal. ' ' We have to differ with this view, for 
the care of this world is an internal trouble. Worry is something 
inside. Mark, in the parallel account, says (Mark 4:19), "The 
cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts 
of other things entering in choke the word. ' ' Lusts of other things 
are internal and not external.. Wesley, speaking of the difference 
between entire sanctification and regeneration, describes the mixed 
condition of this class before entire sanctification thus: "Till this 
universal change was wrought in his soul all his holiness was 
mixed. He was humble but not entirely: his humility was mixed 
with pride: he was meek but frequently his meekness was inter- 
rupted by anger, or some uneasy and turbulent passion. His love 
of God was frequently dampened by the love of some creature." 

Notice that each class, as we advance in the study of the para- 
ble, is a slight improvement on the class before it. The back- 
sliders of the second class went further than the first class, who 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 187 

did not believe at all. The mixed third class are in advance of 
the second class who backslid, and now we come to the fourth 
class, that are still farther up the road. 

(4) The good ground hearers. Those who are not hard and 
who do not refuse to receive the truth and become converted. They 
do not run for a while and because of their shallowness of pur- 
pose backslide like the second class. They have been cleansed from 
all sin and have none of the old thorn life of inbred sin springing 
up and choking their fruitage. Jesus means here a pure heart, out 
of which all the thorns of depravity have been extracted. 

The Pharisees illustrated the first class. The second class is 
illustrated by the Galileans, who went with Jesus until he told 
them of his cross. (John 6:66.) The third is illustrated by the 
Corinthians, who had in them carnality (1 Cor. 3:1-3), even though 
Paul called them Christians. This class had the good fruit of 
brotherly love nearly choked out of them. The fourth class is rep- 
resented by the Colossians, who were made "meet to be partakers 
of the inheritance with the saints in light" (Coll. 1:12). Notice 
that the fruit that a Christian bears is not works but character. 
Whedon says the hundred fold is in getting sinners converted. 
He says, "To produce a hundred from one is a rich increase: but 
how rich the increase of every Christian who converts a hundred 
souls." The Bible never confounds works and fruit. It says, 
"the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, etc." (Gal. 5:22). All 
of which are qualities of the soul and not works. They are condi- 
tions or qualities. A pure heart is the state where our love is 
made perfect, our joy is full and our peace is perfect and where 
patience has its perfect work. Notice there is a difference in the 
abundance of this fruitage. Some bear more than others. The 
quality may be the same but there may be more of the fruitage. 
God does not call all to the same state or prominence, or put all 
in the same places of influence or grant us all equal abilities. 
Some have the opportunity to make greater returns than others. 
Some have more trial and more opportunity to ripen a greater 
amount of fruit. 

Some have advanced the theory that we are not responsible 
for the place in the class to which we belong: that God has fore- 
ordained the class to which each man shall belong. But Jesus tells 



188 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

us to the contrary. He says in verse 9, "He that hath ears to 
hear, let him hear." Luke tells us (Luke 8:18), that it all de- 
pends upon the way we hear. Jesus said, "Take heed how ye 
hear." (Luke 8:18). It depends on us alone — not on God. It 
depends upon the attitude we take to the truth. 

The disciples then asked him why he taught them in parables. 
It would seem from this that it was not a customary method of 
teaching. He replied that it was given the disciples to understand 
the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Spiritual insight is a 
gift that comes to those who are regenerated. ' ' For the natural 
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit, ' ' they l ' are spiritually 
discerned." But this spiritual insight was not given to the multi- 
tude to whom it could only be pointed out by parables or illus- 
trations from nature. Notice then that the disciples were regen- 
erate men or they could not have understood these spiritual truths 
which the world did not comprehend. This is one of the thou- 
sands of proofs that these disciples were regenerate men before 
Pentecost. "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, anos he 
shall have more abundance ; but whosoever hath not, from him shall 
be taken away, even that he hath. ' ' This is one of the many para- 
doxical sayings of Jesus, put in the form of an aphorism. In 
chapter 25, verse 29, we have almost the same words on another 
subject. He means that the man who has spiritual knowledge will 
have an increase of it if he has a desire to learn spiritual things, 
but if he has no such desire, he will lose the little moral sense 
that he has, after a while, for God has given all men some moral 
sense which becomes quickened when a man is convicted, but if he 
fails to yield to that conviction he will become hard of conscience. 
See what we have just said under verses 1-12 concerning the use 
of parables. Those who have the key of the parable which comes 
through spiritual insight will get more light. Those people who 
hated the truth could not get hold of it to abuse it. Thus he ful- 
filled his own injunction not to east pearls before swine. He 
shows that this is the fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah. Esaias 
is the Greek for Isaiah. (See Isa. 6: 9, 10.) "Seeing ye shall 
see, and shall not perceive." This is another of the apparent 
contradictions of Jesus. He means that they should understand 
the truth intellectually but not spiritually. Alas, there are many 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 189 

such. ' l For this people 's heart is waxed gross. ' ' The spiritual 
nature of man has diseases as truly as the body. The physical 
disease called "Fatty degeneration of the heart" is caused by a 
life of luxury and self-indulgence, and here Jesus says there is a 
spiritual fatty degeneration of the heart. The word "gross" 
means literally "fat." There are many that have it, and it af- 
fects the hearing and sight of the soul. The church at Jerusalem, 
who refused to go on to perfection and get a complete cure of 
this heart disease, had their spiritual sense affected. (See Heb. 
5:11 and 14.) It is a worldly maxim, "there are none so blind as 
those who will not see. ' ' It might be said there are none so blind 
as those who refused to see until by refusing they lost their eye- 
sight, so that they could not see. We have seen people act that 
same way about the higher doctrines of the Bible, such as holi- 
ness, until they could not see them at all. There are people who 
act this way both as regards pardon and purity. They do not pro- 
pose to yield, so they will not see. 

He then says to his disciples, "but blessed are your eyes, for 
they see." Will any one say that these men, who could see spir- 
itual truth as the multitude could not, were unsaved? Again we 
emphasize what so many deny, viz. : the disciples were regenerate 
men before Pentecost. He then adds the information that they 
were seeing what the prophets and righteous men of the old dis- 
pensation would have been delighted to have seen. This shows that 
both dispensations had to do with the same great truths, only 
those of the Old Dispensation saw them dimly in types and shadows, 
but they of the New Dispensation see them clearly in their glorious 
reality. 

THE WHEAT AND THE TARES. WE CAN BE HOLY 
AMONG SINNEES. Vs. 24-30. 

24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom 
of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field : 

25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among 
the wheat, and went his way. 

26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, 
then appeared the tares also. 

27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, 
Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then 
hath it tares? 



190 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants 
said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 

29 But he said, Nay ; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root 
up also the wheat with them. 

30 Let both grow together until the harvest : and in the time of 
harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, 
and hind them in hundles to burn them : hut gather the wheat into 
my harn. 

These parables each show a different aspect of the spiritual 
kingdom. Our Lord alludes to a common practice in the East. 
Farmers there are frequently injured financially by enemies who 
come and sow tares (a weed something like the English darnel or 
American cheat) in the grain fields to hurt their crop. The devil 
is the author of wickedness. He is the enemy that came and sowed 
sin in God's wheat field. God is not the author of sin any more 
than the devil is the author of righteousness. Holiness has an 
author — the holy God: and sin has an author — the unholy devil. 
One is as truly a person as the other. The devil sowed his seed 
"and went his way." He did not have to stop to help it grow. 
Sin grows naturally in this world as weeds and bad seed do in the 
soil. "He knew the soil: he knew how the seed would take root 
and grow. He had only to sow the seed and let it alone. So 
Satan knows the soil in which he sows his doctrine. He knows that 
in the human heart it will take deep and rapid root. It needs 
but little culture" (Barnes). The wheat can live mixed with the 
tares. Holiness is possible in a world of sin. (See comments on 
verses 34-43 for further explanation.) 

PAEABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED. HOLINESS IS SMALL 
AND DESPISED IN ITS BEGINNING BUT CAPA- 
BLE OF GREAT INCREASE. Ys. 31-32. 

31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom 
of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and 
sowed in his field : 

32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds : but when it is grown, 
it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds 
of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. 

Holiness is like the mustard seed. (1) It is small in its be- 
gining in the world and therefore despised by those who look for 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 191 

spectacular religion. Jesus, its author, was preeminently so. He 
was despised and rejected of men from the time he was born up 
to the time he ascended up to heaven. His cause, or holiness of 
which he was the representative is also despised and rejected of 
men as he was. Not many mighty or great of this world espouse 
it. Like him it is derided even by ecclesiasticism. It is unpopular 
with religionists, as he was, and also as much persecuted by them. 

(2) It is pungent. Mustard is one of the most pungent of 
seeds. It takes hold. So does the truth contained in the preaching 
of holiness. It stirs things that were dead. There is no stagnation 
where it is. It penetrates to the quick. This is the reason so 
many cannot endure it. It penetrates the very heart. 

(3) It has to be bruised to be of the most good. So was Jesus 
and so will those be who take the lone way with him. But their 
bruising brings out the best there is in them and makes them 
of more service. The trials of the sanctified promote the king- 
dom of God. Self sacrifice helps God's cause in us and helps us 
to help others. 

(4) But it grows. In spite of its humble surroundings and 
the attitude of the world and the professed church, it grows. No 
one can stop it from growing. It is growing bigger all the time 
just as early Christianity did in spite of opposition and ostracism. 

(5) It is destined to be great in the future. It is now in 
quality the greatest thing that there is, but it is to be greater 
in size until it fills the whole earth. It is the inner substance of 
real Christianity and has kept Christianity alive in spite of the in- 
ternal hindrances which have been great. 

PAEABLE OF THE LEAVEN. HOLINESS ELEVATES 
SOCIETY. Vs. 33. 

33 Another parable spake he unto them ; The kingdom of heaven 
Is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures 
of meal, till the whole was leavened. 

Jesus now likens the operation of his holy religion in the world 
to the operation of leaven, or yeast. He refers to the common 
method of raising bread sponge which is familiar in every house- 
hold. Leaven is often used in the Bible in a bad sense as sym- 



192 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

bolical of corruption. But not always. It was commanded in one 
place in the Old Testament, to be used in the baking of bread 
for the feast of the First Fruits (See Lev. 23:17). So then we 
must not attach any moral quality, good or bad to its use in this 
parable. It lifts up the whole mass. We must not make parables 
go on all fours to illustrate what Jesus did not intend but only 
the point that he did intend. The parable of the mustard seed 
showed the extent of our holy religion. The parable of the leaven 
shows how it lifts society as it spreads. He simply intended to show 
how true holiness lifts society, even when all society does not em- 
brace it. See the influence of the Wesleyan revival on society 
which was very degenerate. All society was not converted, but 
it was lifted higher. The foundation of the Wesleyan Revival, 
according to Wesley, was holiness. This was the cause, so the 
great historian of Methodism said, of the great success of early 
Methodism. 

EXPLANATION OF THE PARABLE OF THE WHEAT AND 
THE TARES. Vs.34-43. 

34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in paraibles ; 
and without a parable spake he not unto them : 

35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, 
saying, I will open my mouth in parables ; I will utter things which 
have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. 

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the 
house : and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us 
the parable of the tares of the field. 

37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good 
seed is the Son of man ; 

38 The field is the world ; the good seed are the children of the 
kingdom ; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 

39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil ; the harvest is the 
end of the world ; and the reapers are the angels. 

40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire ; 
so shall it be in the end of this world. 

41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall 
gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which 
do iniquity ; 

42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire : there shall be 
wailing and gnashing of teeth. 

43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom 
of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 193 

Matthew here adds that "Without a parable spake he not 
unto them. ' ' He refers of course to this discourse in which he used 
parables wholly to explain the principles of his kingdom more 
fully. This was a fulfillment of the prophecy given in Psalm 
78:17. These truths had been kept secret from the foundation 
of the world but were now clearly revealed. He seems to have 
given the parables of the sower, the wheat and the tares, the 
mustard seed and the leaven to the multitude. The rest of 
the parables of this chapter were evidently given to the dis- 
ciples alone. 

The field here is the world — not the church. Eoman Catholic- 
ism has endeavored to make it appear that the field is the church 
and hence they have sought, by this interpretation, to prove that 
the church is not to be disciplined and unworthy members 
cast out. But Jesus says "the field is the world." He is the 
sower. The wheat are the holy men and women who have em- 
braced his doctrine and been transformed by divine grace. "The 
tares are the children of the wicked one. The enemy that sowed 
them is the devil." Some have asserted that we cannot live a 
pure life among sinners. But Jesus says they both grow together — 
the wheat and the tares, He said he had some "even in Sardis 
which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with 
me in. white; for they are worthy" (Eev. 3:4). He prayed not 
that his disciples should be taken out of the world but that 
they should be kept from the evil that is in the world (John 17: 
15). The harvest is the end of the world. That is, the Judg- 
ment is to be at the end of the world and not at the death of 
the individual. The Greek word here means the end of the age. 
That is when time shall be no more. There is to be a gathering 
out of the tares which are to be burned, in everlasting fire. 
"And there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Weeping 
denotes sorrow and gnashing of teeth denotes rage. There will be 
both in Hell. "Then shall the righteous shine forth." "When 
the tares are removed, the obstructions to growth in holiness and 
godliness will be removed" (Abbott). The time will come when 
there will be no more holiness fighters and opposers of righteous- 
ness. The separation that has been in character between the 
righteous and unrighteous, the holy and unholy will be not only 



194 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

final but complete. We shall not have to mingle with the wicked 
any more and be on guard against their evil influence. The saints 
will no longer have their light and influence hindered by the un- 
godly and unholy. So the wicked must grow with the righteous 
until the Judgment. To root the wicked up now would spoil 
the probationary state of both the good and the wicked. 

We also have here taught that the devil is the author of inbred 
sin or depravity. He sowed the evil seed in man's heart by 
the permission of man. 

PAEABLE OF THE HID TREASURE. HOLINESS IS A 
TREASURE OF INCREASING VALUE. Vs. 44. 

44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid 
in a field ; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for 
joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and huyeth that field. 

This is the first of the parables whieh were uttered to his 
disciples alone, privately in the house. He now gives the parable 
of the man who found hid treasure in a field and went and joy- 
fully sold all he had and bought the field. In that country men 
often hid their money in the ground and this man found some 
hid away perhaps for many years. This represents (1) The treasure 
of holiness is hid from the eyes of most people. A few see its 
value and want it. But even to them its amount is hid, for 
there is more to it than they suppose when first they buy the 
field. We buy the field when we accept the whole Bible, and all 
there is in religion ar.d consecrate ourselves entirely to God and 
it keeps opening up more and more. There is more in the field 
than we had any idea of, when we first began to mine it. When 
we first came we supposed that all there was to religion was to 
escape hell and get to heaven in the end, but the deeper we dig, 
the more we see our real needs and the more we see what God 
has for us, and we find that it is full salvation from all sin here. 
It is not merely escaping future hell, but escaping the present 
hell of sin within us. It is not only gaining heaven, by and 
by, but it is having heaven set up within us, for when we are 
delivered from sin, we have heaven; for the chief characteristics 
of heaven are the presence of God and the absence of sin. 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 195 

(2) It takes all that we have to buy this field. But it is 
cheap at that. The reason so many find nothing in their religion 
is, they have not paid the full price. It will take all we have 
to buy this field with the hid, inexhaustible treasure in it. But 
it is all a waste of sympathy to pity the man who has given his 
all. He does it, Jesus says, "With joy." 

THE PEAKL OF GEEAT PEICE. HOLINESS IS THE MOST 
VALUABLE OF ALL POSSESSIONS. Vs. 45-46. 

45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, 
seeking goodly pearls : 

46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and 
sold all that he had, and hought it. 

The kingdom of heaven here is illustrated by another man who 
was in the pearl business. Every sincere man is in the pearl 
business; at least every sincere Christian is a seeker for the very 
best experience there is. He wants the best. The first parable 
seems to teach the experience of an honest man finding more in re- 
ligion than he thought there was. The second seems to teach 
the experience of a man who is in the pearl business; who is after 
the very best there is in religion. He is seeking goodly pearls. 
Such an one is sure to find (if he keeps at it) the pearl of 
great price — the highest form of salvation is — perfect love. He 
is not like the swinish of whom Jesus speaks, in another place, 
who tread pearls under their feet. There are, thank God, some 
who have already tasted the powers of the world to come and now 
they want the best and these hunger and thirst after righteousness. 
It took all he had to get the pearl but he did not need any one's 
pity. We have the idea he became a one idea man after that and 
cared to talk about nothing else but pearls. If holiness is what 
the Bible says it is no wonder people, who get it, want to 
make it the great theme of their life and conversation. 

PAEABLE OF THE NET. SEPAEATION OF THE HOLY 
AND UNHOLY IN THE VISIBLE CHUECH. Vs. 47-50. 

47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was 
cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind : 



196 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, 
and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 

49 So shall it be at the end of the world : the angels shall come 
forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 

50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire : there shall be 
wailing and gnashing of teeth. 

He here represents the kingdom of heaven as a net which takes 
fish out of the sea. And then the fish are sorted afterwards and 
the bad thrown away. The net here is the church which is busy 
getting men converted out of the world. There was a separation 
when they were taken out of the world. There is to be a second 
separation. He says we "must be born again." The Bible 
just as surely says we must be wholly sanctified. If our life in the 
church after conversion does not lead to our sanctification, then 
we shall be cast out, for "without holiness no man shall see the 
Lord." It is not enough then to be taken out of the world, 
we must have the world taken out of us. The final test of the 
Judgment is not being taken out of the world but being made free 
from sin. The way to keep justified after we have been saved is 
to go on and get sanctified, and keep sanctified by living up to 
all the light we have. 

THE CHRISTIAN TEACHER MUST NOT DESPISE THE OLD 
DOCTRINES WHEN HE FINDS NEW DEVELOP- 
MENTS OF THESE DOCTRINES. Vs. 51-53. 

51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? 
They say unto him, Yea, Lord. 

52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is 
instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is 
an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new 
and old. 

53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these 
parables, he departed thence. 

Jesus asked the disciples if they understood the parables which, 
he had just spoken. They said they did. He then says that his 
preachers are like the father of a household in their care of 
the church and ought to be well versed in old truths and their 
new development. The old truths ought not to be one bit relegated 
to the rear and at the same time they ought to clothe them in 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 197 

modern thought and put them in modern setting before the hearers. 
Old doctrines can never be superseded. "We may find more in 
them as we advance in wisdom but we will simply find what was 
there all the time, waiting to be brought out. 

THE HOLY MAN REJECTED IN HIS OWN HOME. Vs. 54-58. 

54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them 
in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, 
Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? 

55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called 
Mary? and his brethren, James, and Jo'ses, and Simon, and Judas? 

56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath 
this man all these things? 

57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, 
A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in 
his own house. 

58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their un- 
belief. 

Jesus now went back to Nazareth, the country where he was 
brought up, and taught in the synagogue. He had been there 
once before and they tried to put him to death (See Luke 4). 
The inhabitants instead of rejoicing that they had such a towns- 
man, were filled with envy that he should be any better than 
themselves and said, "is not this the carpenter's son?" Jesus 
was a man of toil and forever made honest labor honorable. They 
also said: "Is not his mother's name Mary? and his brethren 
James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?" They also referred 
to his sisters. It seems then that Mary had other children, and 
the Roman Catholic doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary 
is not scriptural. Poor human nature cannot endure to have some 
one excel it. This is as true today as then. Consequently he 
did not perform many mighty works there because of their un- 
belief. ' ' The object of his works was not to convince determined 
unbelievers but to confirm the faith of those who believed in him. 
Only those who are willing to receive the truth are fit candidates 
before whom to work miracles. Jesus never wasted the display 
of his power on unwilling minds. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE PREACHER MAY BE REMOVED BUT HOLINESS 
REMAINS TO BLESS MANKIND. 

Holy Preachers May be Put Away by Sinful Men, but Their Influ- 
ence Can Not be Set Aside. God Will Raise Up Others Even 
if Wicked Men Remove the Preachers of Holiness. Vs. 1-12. 
People Will Find Out Those of Holy Character and Come to 
Them in Their Needs. Vs. 13-14. They Feed the Hungry. Vs. 
15-21. The Mixed Condition of Those Believers Who Are Not 
Wholly Sanctified. Vs. 22-33. Holy People Are a Blessing 
Wherever They Go. Vs. 34-36. 

GOD WILL RAISE UP OTHERS EVEN IF WICKED MEN 
REMOVE THE PREACHERS OF HOLINESS. Vs. 1-12. 

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus 

2 And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist ; he is 
risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth them- 
selves in him. 

3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and ibound him, and put 
him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. 

4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. 

5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multi- 
tude, because they counted him as a prophet. 

6 But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias 
danced before them, and pleased Herod. 

7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever 
she would ask. 

8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give 
me here John Baptist's head in a charger. 

9 And the king was sorry : nevertheless for the oath's sake, and 
them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. 

10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. 

11 And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the 
damsel : and she brought it to her mother. 

12 And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, 
and went and told Jesus. 

199 



200 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

Jesus had now become so famous that Ms fame had pene- 
trated even to the royal palace. Herod the tetrareh heard of him. 
The word tetrareh meant originally the ruler of the fourth part 
of a province. It came to have a derived meaning and now means 
a petty or subordinate king. This Herod was the son of Herod 
the Great and was the ruler of Galilee and Perea. He had in- 
duced Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip to live with him. 
He divorced his own wife in order to do this. She was the daughter 
of the king of Petra. The father who was so angry went to war 
against Herod. John the Baptist was preaching at this time his 
wonderful ministry of repentance, and heralding the coming of 
the kingdom of God. He denounced this awful sin of the king 
which was forcing a war upon the people. Herod, in order to 
stop his mouth, shut him up in prison but had not dared to kill 
him, as he feared the people. Mark (Ch. 6:19, 20) says that Hero- 
dias would have killed him if she could, but that Herod "feared 
him knowing that he was a just man and holy. ' ' John did not fear 
to rebuke sin in high places. He might have got along and been 
on good terms with Herod and been no doubt honored of him 
but he had his commission from the King of kings and he re- 
buked the licentious king. Holiness antagonizes sin in every form, 
and sin will always strike back where it is wounded. We hear 
preachers, who say they have discovered a way of preaching holi- 
ness so as to give no offence. Jesus and John did not have that 
method. Eeal holiness means war on sin, and war to such an ex- 
tent that sin feels it and resents it. A holy man like John will 
rebuke sin. 

It is one of the marks of the arrogance of those who are in 
hijh position or who are rich to seem to think they can ride over 
the ordinary standards of right and wrong. This is true in every 
age. The extreme rich have trampled more on the law of God 
than the extreme poor. God holds kings, rulers, potentates, bishops 
and ecclesiastics of all ranks to the same rigid rules of right- 
eousness that he does other people. Some seem to forget this 
when they get in places of position. But God cares nothing for 
human class distinctions. There is a striking parallel between 
Ahab and Jezebel, whom Elijah opposed, and Herod and Herodias 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 201 

whom John opposed. Elijah and John saw trying times but they 
delivered their message. 

When Herod's birthday occurred, Salome, the daughter of 
Herodias, danced before the king and delighted him so much 
that he promised her anything she might ask even to half of 
the kingdom. This was simply a plot before arranged by Hero- 
dias who was thirsting for the blood of John. She had already 
planned for her daughter to ask the head of John the Baptist, 
in a charger (a wooden dish, or trencher in which food was served). 
Her daughter was no doubt the innocent tool of her mother (See 
Mark 6:24). It might have been that Herod was privy to the 
plot himself and took this way to excuse himself to the people. 
Matthew says the king was sorry but for his oath's sake and the 
sake of the guests before him (that is rather than be called a 
liar) he committed murder. O what an abominable thing is pride! 
He had rather be guilty of murder than be called a liar. There 
is nothing that will enrage the ordinary man as much as to doubt 
his veracity. It is throwing the lie in his face. "A bad promise 
is better broken that kept." But the king sent and had John 
beheaded. 

The disciples of John took the body of their master and buried 
it and went and told Jesus. Thank God there is a Jesus to 
whom we can go and tell our grief. This shows that John had 
kept his allegiance to Jesus, and his disciples were attracted to 
him, and doubtless became disciples of Jesus. This is the best thing 
that we can do, when earthly friends are taken from us — go and 
tell Jesus. No doubt Jesus comforted them just as he comforts 
his people in such extremities today. He is the refuge of the 
persecuted and afflicted of all the ages since. 

We see in this the depravity of a wicked woman. There is noth- 
ing in the world better than a good woman and nothing worse 
than a bad woman. The war which resulted from this crime was 
disastrous to Herod. The king of Petra defeated him and the 
Jews thought he was defeated by divine influence on account of 
the murder of John. 

But though the guilty pair had stopped the mouth of John, 
they had not stopped his influence. We remember that John 
was always filled with the Holy Ghost and a preacher of the 



202 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

two works of grace as we have seen in chapter third. Genuine 
holiness preachers will rebuke sin and will meet persecution as 
John did. Their mouths, like his, may be stopped but the truth 
lives. John the Baptist spoke to their consciences even after he 
was dead. This is a tremendous lesson on the power of con- 
science. When Jesus began preaching, Herod was roused, his 
conscience smote him and he said, "this is John the Baptist: he 
is risen from the dead. ' ' Holiness once preached can never be un- 
preached. Kill the workmen but the truth remains. While John 
performed no miracles Herod supposed that being raised from 
the dead he had received power to perform miracles. The holy 
John, with his holy message and rebuke of sin, may be removed 
but the cause still advances, for Jesus comes as his successor. God 
will have holiness preached upon the earth and he will raise up 
some other advocate although men may kill, banish or remove 
the preacher who rebukes sin. This is our encouragement. 

PEOPLE WILL FIND OUT THOSE OF HOLY CHAEACTEE 
AND COME TO THEM IN THEIE NEED. Vs. 13-14. 

13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a 
desert place apart : and when the people had heard thereof, they 
followed him on foot out of the cities. 

14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was 
moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. 

God is on the side of holiness. "When Jesus heard of the 
death of John he departed by ship into a desert place. ' ' He went 
away for two reasons :' that his disciples might have rest (Mark 
6:31) and that he might avoid his enemies, who were searching 
for Him. His time to be offered as a sacrifice for the sins of the 
world had not yet come. By sailing across the lake of Gennesaret, 
he was out of the dominions of Herod Antipas whom he was to 
meet later, when Herod and his minions arrayed him in robes of 
royalty to mock him, because he would not perform a miracle to 
gratify Herod's curiosity (Luke 23:6-12). Across the lake he 
was out of the dominion of the Herod who had killed John (called 
Herod Antipas) and was in the kingdom of Herod Philip, his 
brother, a man of mild disposition. As usual when the people 
heard that he was there, they came bringing their sick. Who 



"ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 203 

could blame them ? How much sorrow and suffering there is in this 
world! And no one loved better to alleviate pain, sickness and 
sorrow than did Jesus. This is one of his characteristics, he 
"went about doing good" and those, who are holy, are most 
like him in that particular. They go about doing good to men's 
souls and bodies. Such people are the world's almoners. Men 
are attracted to them. 

THEY FEED THE HUNGRY. Vs. 15-21. 

15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, 
This is a desert place, and the time is now past ; send the multitude 
away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. 

16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye 
them to eat. 

17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and 
two fishes. 

18 He said, Bring them hither to me. 

19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, 
and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, 
he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the 
disciples to the multitude. 

20 And they did all eat, and were filled : and they took up of the 
fragments that remained twelve baskets full. 

21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside 
women and children. 

The history leading up to the events of the feeding of the 
five thousand is this: Jesus had sent out his disciples to preach 
and teach in the villages (See Ch. 10), while he preached in the 
cities. This preaching on the part of himself and disciples had 
extended his fame so that Herod Antipas, the king had heard of it, 
and thought that it was John the Baptist arisen from the dead, 
who was doing mighty works. When Jesus knew of it he withdrew 
from the territory of Herod and went across the Sea of Galilee 
into the dominions of the king 's brother. The people had gathered 
on the shore of the sea near Bethsaida, bringing their sick. "It 
was, so John tells us, at the time of the Passover (John 6:3-5). 
Jesus, full of compassion, had retired to a mountain. He had come 
down from the mountain and spent the day healing their sick. 
It was now even time and some of the disciples saw the need 
of feeding the people. John tells us that Jesus had previously 



204 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

asked Philip, " Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat?" 
"He did this to draw out Philip's opinion (John 6:6). He 
wanted to let Philip see his own heart and the measure of his 
faith. The lesson of the parable was unfolded in the sermon 
of the next day (See John 6:26-55), Christ the bread of life, and 
eternal life conditioned on feeding on Christ. This miracle was 
not merely given to feed this multitude and satisfy their hunger 
but to illustrate by a striking object lesson that he could satisfy 
the souls of men as easily and as well as their bodies. Like all his 
miracles it illustrated spiritual truth. 

(1) Notice Jesus expected the disciples to feed the multitude. 
He said, "give ye them to eat." He expects the church today 
to have that on hand, which will feed the multitude. He expects 
us to be well fed so that we shall be able to help the perishing 
all about us. (2) If we have but little and it is genuine food, 
he will multiply that little for us to use for others. They had 
five loaves and two fishes. (3) There was enough. It ran over. 
There were twelve baskets of fragments. So the miracle was 
not a suspension of the digestion of the people, but it was the 
actual multiplication of the bread. There is an abundance of salva- 
tion now for those who will take it from Jesus. 

Jesus looked up to heaven and gave thanks. It was the cus- 
tom of the Jews to always return thanks before eating. It is 
heathenish not to thank God for our food. There are many no 
better than the heathen in this respect. "Like the widow's cruse 
of oil, when a part was taken, its place was instantly supplied 
by divine power. The loaf remained still as large when the piece 
was broken off, and each piece in hand became imperceptibly as 
large as the loaf. Was this an original act of creation? Not 
necessarily. He, who guided through the water the fishes to 
Peter's net, could guide the invisible atomic elements in however 
gaseous a form, through the air, to form upon the loaf, the material 
bread. This but hastened the process that ever is taking place 
in the growth of the grain. There is but the additional modifiea : 
tion produced by heat in the oven: but even this is only a dif- 
ferent arrangement of the particles" (Whedon). The grand 
lesson of the whole miracle is that there is virtue sufficient in the 
atonement of Jesus made once for all for the salvation of the 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 205 

millions of the human race. And his people can therefore go to 
all the world and distribute the bread of life to all, for there is 
plenty for the whole human race. 

THE MIXED CONDITION OF THOSE BELIEVERS WHO 
AEE NOT WHOLLY SANCTIFIED. Vs. 22-33. 

22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into 
a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the 
multitudes away. 

23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into 
a mountain apart to pray : and when the evening was come, he was 
there alone. 

24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with 
waves : for the wind was contrary. 

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, 
walking on the sea. 

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were 
troubled, saying, It is a spirit ; and they cried out for fear. 

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good 
cheer ; it is I ; be not afraid. 

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me 
come unto thee on the water. 

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of 
the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid ; and 
beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught 
him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou 
doubt? 

32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. 

33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, 
saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. 

John tells us that the people were so delighted at the miracle 
that they proposed to take him by force and make him king. 
On this account he withdrew from them, giving his disciples or- 
ders to enter a ship and go before him to the other side of the 
sea. Having sent the multitudes away, he went up into a moun- 
tain to pray. Here he continued for a long time in prayer. 

Jesus was given to much prayer while on earth. And if he 
needed to pray much, most certainly we do. He is still praying. 
We learn that he is interceding for a lost world even now. It 
were vain to try to imagine what he prayed for, when alone on 



206 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

earth. It was probably communion with God. A good deal of 
our prayer should be communion. We are all of us inclined to 
pray only when we have petitions to present to God. We should, 
like Jesus, cultivate communion with God. 

The wind was contrary to their course and the ship was tossed 
by the waves. They were having a hard passage while he was 
praying. It is sometimes so with us, we have a hard time meeting 
the trials and hardships of life, when, like the disciples, we are 
on the very errand that he sends us to perform (they were on the 
sea at his command), and it seems to us as if He had forgotten 
us. But he is still praying for us. He has not forgotten us, al- 
though we may be tempted to think that he has lost track of us 
entirely. In the fourth watch of the night (about three o'clock 
in the morning) he came to them walking on the sea. He had 
just performed one miracle showing his power over nature to make 
it produce more bread. He now performs another miracle to show 
his power in overcoming and subduing nature in thus walking on 
the water. 

When the disciples saw him they were much disturbed. They 
shared the theory of all the Jews (except the Sadducees), that 
there are disembodied spirits that walk the earth. So when they 
saw him, they thought it was a spirit, and cried out for fear. 
Are we not like them sometimes, when Jesus, our best friend, 
comes to help us and bless us, are we not in our trials and per- 
plexities sometimes afraid of him? Do we not sometimes think 
that the very providences that he is in, for our good, are things 
to be feared? "Man in his present state, in the fear and per- 
plexity of spirit which may so easily overtake him, sees appari- 
tions: and thinks even his Saviour as he draws nigh in divine 
power, at first to be such. This however is always better than 
the opposite folly of boldness, to take a phantasm of his own 
thoughts as the Lord and Saviour" (Stier). But Jesus said to 
them, what he says to every troubled disciple in every trial, 
"Be of good cheer: it is I: be not afraid." This may be the 
experience of every child of God. 

Peter in the impetuosity of his love wishes to go to him. 
There can be no doubt concerning the love of Peter manifest here. 
It was the same love that he manifested later, when he east himself 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 207 

into the sea and swam to shore to meet Jesus (John 21:7). A 
friend looks unusally good to those who are in trouble. Peter 
was impetuous but he had genuine love for Jesus. He cried, l ' Lord, 
if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. ' ' He had 
faith too that Jesus could help him to walk on the water, or he 
never would have set out to walk as Jesus said "Come. " So 
Peter started out and walked a little distance. He actually did 
perform the miracle with the help of Jesus. But he looked at his 
surroundings and saw the great waves and his faith which was 
weak began to fail him and he sank, crying, "Lord, save me." 
Jesus reached forth his hand and caught him and said unto him, 
"O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" There 
was nothing on earth that more pleased Jesus than when he saw 
faith, and nothing brought forth his rebuke like the manifestation 
of unbelief or little faith. This is a lesson to us. The Lord loves 
those who have great faith. He is just as much pleased with those 
of great faith today a3 he was then. "Without faith it is im- 
possible to please God." 

Dr. Whedon says: "This was a noble faith, but it was mixed 
with vain glory." Going down to the root of vain glory we find 
the carnal mind or inbred sin. It was the mixture of faith and 
fear as he saw the waves dashing about him. It is the mixed 
state of all those, who like Peter have not yet had their Pente- 
cost, when the carnal mind is destroyed and the tendency to doubt 
removed. Then faith becomes perfect. Matthew Henry says: 
"Nothing but perfect love will quite cast out fear." Peter 
showed a weak faith after he had heard the well known voice of 
Jesus to require this sign or miracle to believe that it was he. 
Strong faith does not ask for signs but takes God at his word. 
"To take Christ at his word, argues not only the perfection of 
faith, but also the highest exercise of sound reason: He is to be 
credited on his own word because it is the truth, and therefore 
can neither lie, nor deceive." (Clarke.) 

HOLY PEOPLE AEE A BLESSING WHEEEVEE THEY GO. 
Vs. 34-36. 

34 And when they were gone over, they came into the land of 
Gennesaret. 

35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they 



208 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him 
all that were diseased; 

36 And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his 
garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole. 

How quick mankind were to recognize in Jesus, a benefactor, 
one who sympathized with earthly affliction, for wherever he went 
they came to him for help. And the more like Jesus we are the 
more the world will recognize the same benevolence towards the 
suffering ones of earth. The genuine holy man is the best friend 
this world has. He now went to the plain of Gennesaret, a plain 
on the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee and they brought the 
sick to him from all quarters and besought him that they might 
only touch the hem of his garment and as many as touched were 
made completely whole. For the religious significance of the 
hem of the garment see our comments on Chapter 9, verses 19-22. 

If a touch of faith brought complete healing instantaneously 
to the bodies of men while Christ was on earth, is it too much 
to say that a touch of faith can bring complete healing of the 
soul and instantaneously too? Who will say that Jesus is unable 
to cure the soul instantaneously from all sin? and who will say that 
he is unwilling? 



CHAPTER XV. 

HOLINESS UNCOMPROMISINGLY AGAINST HYPOCRISY 
BUT COMPASSIONATE TOWARDS SINNERS. 

Holiness Hated with Good Reason by Formalists and Hypocrites. 
Vs. 1-9. Sin Has Its Source in the Heart, Hence the Great 
Importance of a Pure Heart. Vs. 10-20. Holiness Refuses to 
Lower the Standard. Vs. 21-28. Another Miracle Teaching the 
Benevolence of Holiness. Vs. 29-39. 

HOLINESS HATED WITH GOOD REASON BY FORMALISTS 
AND HYPOCRITES. Vs. 1-9. 

1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of 
Jerusalem, saying, 

2 Why do thy disciples transgress the traditions of the elders? 
for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 

3 But he answered and said unto them, why do ye also trans- 
gress the commandment of God by your tradition? 

4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother : 
and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 

5 But ye say, whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It 
is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; 

6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus 
have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your 
tradition. 

7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 

8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and 
honoureth me with their lips ; but their heart is far from me. 

9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the 
commandments of men. 

The Jews of Galilee were, as a whole, quite favorably inclined 
towards Jesus. The Judean Jews (those of Judea), especially the 
Scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem, were his bitter enemies. They 
were ever on the watch to find something against him. They found 



209 



210 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

The (to them) awful sin, which they now seek to rebuke in 
him was that his disciples did not wash their hands before eat- 
ing. There is no commandment in the decalogue requiring this, 
but they had made some laws that were not in the ten com- 
mandments. These were the traditions of the elders. They were 
human laws. When men begin by making human laws equal to 
those of God it is not long before they put them above the divine 
law. One of the Jewish Eabbins said "to eat with unwashen 
hands was as great a sin as adultery. ' ' He put cleanness of the 
body above cleanness of the moral nature. Another Eabbi ' ' being 
kept a close prisoner, having water sent him both with which to 
wash his hands and to drink with his meat, the greatest part being 
accidentally spilled, washed his hands with the remainder, though 
he left himself nothing to drink, saying he would rather die than 
transgress the tradition of the elders. ' ' The Pharisees would not 
eat with those who had not washed their hands. The elders here 
spoken of were the commentators of the law of Moses. These 
comments became an oral law which they claimed were given 
their fathers by Moses, but at this time had not been committed 
to writing, but after the time of Christ they were written out. 
They went so far as to say that "The written word is water but 
the interpretation and that which is not written is wine. ' ' So they 
attack him with accusation of having broken the tradition of 
the elders. Eitualism in all ages hates heart religion because the 
latter does not put stress on forms and ceremonies, which is all 
there is to ritualism. We do not mean that it is not necessary 
to have forms of religion. We can not well dispense with them. 
If we were all spirit in our natures and were not material at all., 
we could dispense with forms of religion. But as we are both 
body and spirit we must have forms. The great mistake of the 
ritualist in all ages is that he has magnified the forms of re- 
ligion until he can see nothing else in religion. Eitualism and 
heart religion have always been in the world and doubtless will 
be until the end. The ritualist makes formal, outside religion his 
substitute for being righteous and holy of heart. It is a good 
deal easier for the carnal nature of man to chant a beautiful 
liturgical service than it is to pay his debts. It is easier to argue 
about modes of baptism than to seek the spiritual baptism of which 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 211 

water is the sign. It is much more congenial to his nature to put 
some of his ill gotten gains into the building of churches than 
it is to repent and make restitution of the money that he has taken 
wrongfully from men. It is easier to go to meeting and go 
through all the outward motions of religion than it is to deal 
justly, and love mercy and walk humbly with God. When spiritual 
religion declines, men seek to make up for it by increase of 
ceremonies and forms. When the power decreases, they seek to 
make up for it by putting more wheels on the machine. The Old 
Testament contains many rebukes which God gave to the ritualists 
of that day, as severe, as this of Jesus. Some were very zealous 
for fasting in the days of Isaiah, who were very corrupt in their 
lives and God said: "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? 
to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo heavy burdens, and to 
let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke ? ' * In 
this day it is the dependence men have placed on forms and 
ceremonies and church membership instead of holiness of heart that 
needs to be rebuked. Notwithstanding God has said "Holiness 
without which no man shall see the Lord ' ' men are resting on their 
good outward works and their church membership, baptism and 
religious performances for their eternal salvation. Such people do 
not like holiness of heart and are its greatest opposers because 
it constantly, both by testimony and life, rebukes them. 

These ritualists were themselves guilty of some very flagrant 
infractions of the commandments of God, while they affected a 
pious horror at the disciples for eating with unwashen hands. 
Jesus meets their attack by bringing to their notice, and the no- 
tice of the people, their disobedience to and setting aside the 
fifth commandment. They had received from the elders an 
indulgence permitting them to break the fifth commandment. If 
they wished to free themselves from the obligation to support 
their parents they were told by the tradition of the elders that 
they could give their money to the support of the priests, and by 
saying my money is ' ' Corban, ' ' that is, it is consecrated to the 
service of the Lord, they were released from the support of their 
parents. So that if a parent was suffering for the necessities of 
life and asked his son or daughter for support they could say 
"it is Corban. I have consecrated my money to the church and the 



212 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

cause of God. ' ' The Revised Version translates the fifth and sixth 
verses thus: "But ye say, whosoever shall say to his father or 
his mother, That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by 
me is given to God; he shall not honor his father." They had by 
this made void the commandment of God. They had substituted 
their notions for a plain commandment of God. Jesus calls them 
hypocrites. They were making believe that they had superior 
sanctity in order to enrich themselves. Some forms of religion 
today do the same thing. In the place of religion they set aside 
the plain teachings of the Bible and expect by leaving sums of 
money to the church to reach heaven. Jesus was not deceived 
by this hypocrisy but he unmasked it. These hypocrites thought no 
one saw through their hypocrisy but there was an eye that looked 
through the mask. There was one mind that could not be deceived. 
And the same divine mind sees through the hypocrisy of such peo- 
ple today. Of all the people that the hypocrite deceives the one 
he deceives the most is himself. 

These ritualists set aside the word of God, and Jesus applies 
the word of God to them and makes it a terrible weapon against 
them. He quotes from Isaiah 29:13, saying, "Ye hypocrites, 
well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth 
nigh unto me with their mouth, and honor eth me with their lips: 
but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, 
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Notice (1) 
The use Jesus made of the Old Testament. Isaiah did not speak 
of these particular people but of the hypocrites of his day. But 
as hypocrisy is essentially the same, the same Scripture applied 
to these Pharisees. It teaches us that we may apply the eternal 
principles of righteousness as found in the Scriptures to all human 
action in every age. This gives countenance to taking a text 
from any part of the Bible and applying it to present surround- 
ings. (2) Merely mouth religion is an abomination to God. (3) 
It is possible to have only a mouth religion. And we are alj 
in danger of it unless we watch and pray much. (4) The best 
safeguard against mouth religion is to have genuine heart re- 
ligion, that speaks out of the abundance of the heart. With hypo- 
crites religion begins with the mouth and tries to work in but 
never does. The religion of Jesus begins in the heart and works 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 213 

outward. (5) It is possible, (thank God!), to draw nigh to 
God with the heart. 

Notice that the fault of every age is that men have tacked 
so many human notions onto the pure, simple religion of Jesus 
that it has been lost sight of. What doctrines of men there are 
today that set aside entirely the commands of God. In the face of 
the plain teaching of Scripture men today teach that we cannot 
keep the commands of God but that we must commit sin. One 
of the plainest teachings of the whole Bible is that those born of 
God do not commit sin. But the traditions of men look upon such 
doctrine as fanaticism. Those people, who expect to go to heaven, 
in their sins are not only formalists in their religion but fanatics, 
for fanaticism is to expect results without adequate cause. These 
Pharisees had evidently come all the way from Jerusalem to 
Capernaum, where Jesus was undoubtedly at this time, to make 
this attack on him. They now retire, worsted from the conflict. 
No wonder they hated him whom they could not answer. No 
wonder Phariseeism, formalism and ritualism hate holiness. For 
holiness means honesty in telling men the truth. It is not safe 
for us however to tell who the hypocrites are as we can not see 
men's hearts as Jesus could. 

SIN HAS ITS SOURCE IN THE HEART. HENCE THE 
GREAT IMPORTANCE OF A PURE HEART. Vs. 10-20. 

10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and 
understand : 

11 Not that which goeth into the mouth deflleth a man ; but that 
which cometh out of the mouth, this deflleth a man. 

12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou 
that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? 

13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly 
Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 

14 Let them alone : they be blind leaders of the blind. And if 
the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. 

15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this 
parable. 

16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? 

17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth it at the 
mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 

18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth 
from the heart ; and they defile the man. 



214 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, 
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies : 

20 These are the things which defile a man : but to eat with un- 
washen hands defileth not a man. 

He now addresses the multitude, as without doubt the Pharisees 
had retired. He goes on to explain still further the topic on 
which he had been talking to the Pharisees. He says: "Not that 
which goeth into the mouth defileth a man : but that which cometh 
out of the mouth defileth the man. ' ' The Pharisees claimed that 
the unwashen hands would defile the meat that they ate as they 
took it in unwashen hands and put it to the mouth. We do not 
defile the soul which is the real man (the body is only the casket 
in which the jewel, the soul, lives) by what we eat. We defile 
our souls with wicked words and acts. "We are polluted not by 
the meat which we eat with unwashen hands, but by the words 
which we speak from an unsanctified heart" (Henry). These 
words and actions come from within. These are the real defile- 
ment which we produce upon ourselves. We should fear nothing 
but sin. "Intemperance in food and drink may indeed morally 
defile a man. But even the defilement proceeds not from tho 
material contact received but from the forthgoing will and act 
by which these foods are taken. Indeed, the whole force of our 
Lord's maxim is that not physical touch, but moral action makes 
a man truly impure before God." Jesus does not say that there 
is no other impurity. The heart is naturally impure. But he 
says this is the depravity that we bring on ourselves. This is 
in addition to the depravity which we inherit. This is called by 
some theologians "Acquired depravity." A man who has in- 
herited depravity can not keep from acquiring more by his acts 
and words. 

Notice Jesus was a theological preacher to the common people. 
The preacher who preaches the true gospel must preach on the 
sin question a good deal, as Jesus did, showing the depraved 
nature of the human heart. This is a neglected theme. The 
more formal churches become, the less they deal with the sin 
question. "Then came his disciples and said unto him, Knowest 
thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this say- 
ing?" The Pharisees are usually offended when the truth finds 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 215 

them out. That is the reason that the Pharisees are always 
opposed to the searching truths of real holiness teaching and 
preaching. Of course they were offended, for they came to over- 
whelm Jesus and had the tables turned on themselves. Honest men 
will acknowledge the truth, when they hear it, but Pharisees will 
never forgive the man who holds up the mirror to their gaze. 
The truth hurts them, but they will not yield. Jesus was not a bit 
concerned at adverse criticism; a hint to preachers. He replied 
with another parable, "Every plant which my heavenly Father 
hath not planted, shall be rooted up." Every true doctrine will 
stand, but the false will be rooted up. This was substantially 
the same as the advice that Gamaliel gave the council as to Peter 
and the other apostles who had been brought before them. He 
said: "If this counsel or this work be of men it will come to 
nought: but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it: lest haply 
ye be found even to fight against God" (Acts 5:38-39). Their 
traditions were not of God and cannot stand. He then said, "Let 
them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind: and if the blind 
lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. ' ' But why let them 
alone? Why not antagonize them? Jesus was never fond of con- 
troversy. ' ' This seems a singular counsel respecting the teachers 
of error. It is, however, different from, Let the error alone, or, 
let the pupils of error alone. Christ very rarely entered into con- 
troversy with false teachers. I think in no single case did he in- 
vite to or provoke a controversy with them. He devoted himself 
to the affirmative work of preaching the truth, and, for the most 
part, let the preachers of error alone. And God has rooted up 
their plants. Christ is in this, an example to the modern teacher 
in dealing with modern antagonisms to Christianity" (Abbott). 
Notice he here says that those who rest their religious hope on 
ritualism and outward ceremony are blind. And those preachers 
or teachers who preach only an outward religion are blind leaders 
of the blind. 

Peter quite anxious to know the meaning of the parable of 
verse eleven made the request ' ' Declare unto us this parable. ' ' 
Jesus then asked him, "Are ye also without understanding?" 
Doubtless Jesus had told his disciples before why he did not re- 
quire all this ritualism — washing the hands before each meal, etc. 



216 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

He had doubtless told them that a clean heart was of more con- 
sequence than ritualistic rites. The force of the parable is that 
what we take into our mouths can not defile our souls. If our 
hands are unclean and therefore Pharisees may say we are le- 
filed because we eat without washing the hands, it does not 
affect the soul, as Phariseeism would have us believe. It is the 
words that come out of our mouths — wicked words which are the 
expressions of wicked motives and thoughts that defile a man. 
Failing to worship as men say we should or conform to their no- 
tions does not defile the soul. 

He then locates all the sins of the world. And therefore this 
is a most important statement for it was given by one who knew 
i he human heart thoroughly, who was orthodox on the sin question. 
As a hunter traces a wild beast to its lair so Jesus traced up 
sin to its original source — the neart. He says: "For out of the 
heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, 
thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which de- 
file a man but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man." 
The heart is represented here as a bad place, a bitter spring that 
sends its brackish waters out into the world. All the wickedness 
in the world has its origin in the heart. This is the old theology 
and no other theology has furnished a cure to the church and the 
world. 

The old theology of a sinful nature made a Saviour and his 
atonement necessary. The new theology that makes the heart 
good or indifferent either to good or bad qualities naturally has 
done nothing for the world and makes the atonement of Jesus 
a mistake. Adam Clarke says: "In the heart of the unregenerate 
man the principles and seeds of all sin are found. And iniquity 
is always conceived in the heart before it be spoken or acted. 
Is there any hope that a man can abstain from outward sin, till 
his heart, that abominable fountain of corruption, be thoroughly 
cleansed? I trow not." Dr. Whedon says: "Out of the heart — 
the fountain of the moral intention and the moral action — sinful 
action flows forth from a sinful nature. There lies back of the 
bad action a permanent badness of the disposition. The heart 
is therefore depraved. 7J Jesus mentions "evil thoughts' ' first be- 
cause the desires for evil, thought over and reasoned about and 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 211 

decided upon, in the heart are the causes of the sins which people 
commit. Adam Clarke says the literal Greek for evil thoughts 
here is ' ' wicked dialogues. ' ' There are wicked dialogues between 
conscience and the depraved nature when a man is about to do 
wrong. After the ' ' evil thoughts ' ' the wicked purposes and plan- 
nings Jesus puts the sins against the last six commandments of 
the decalogue. All acts of sin come from these evil thoughts or 
purposes of the heart. The Eev. Ver. translates "blasphemies" 
by the word "railings." All railing at God or man comes from 
an evil heart. He then adds again, "These are the things which 
defile a man. ' ' Matthew Henry says : ' ' Sin is defiling to the soul, 
renders it unlovely and abominable to the pure and holy God, 
unfit for communion with him, and for the enjoyment of the New 
Jerusalem, into which nothing shall enter that defileth, or worketh 
iniquity. The mind and conscience are defiled by sin and that 
makes everything else so (Titus 1:15)." We must be sure and 
have the real cleansing of heart without which all forms of reli- 
gion are worse than useless, for heart cleansing is the object of 
the atonement of Jesus. 

HOLINESS EEFUSES TO LOWEE THE STANDARD. 

Vs. 21-28. 

21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of 
Tyre and Sidon. 

22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, 
and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of 
David ; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 

23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came 
and besought him, saying, Send her away ; for she crieth after us. 

24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost 
sheep of the house of Israel. 

25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 

26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's 
bread, and to cast it to dogs. 

27 And she said, Truth, Lord : yet the dogs eat of the crumbs 
which fall from their master's table. 

28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is 
thy faith : be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was 
made whole from that very hour. 

Jesus now "went thence." He turned away from the Phari- 



218 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

sees and those who rejected the truth and set his face towards 
the northern boundaries of the country and came to the coasts 
(the boundaries) of Tyre and Sidon. This was in the country of 
Phenicia, a heathen country. It was true that when Jesus and his 
apostles found the church unwilling to receive the message, after 
a little they withdrew from it. This is still true. "When the pro- 
fessed people of God will not receive the light, it is taken from 
them. Here he was met by a woman of Canaan. This strip of 
Syria north of Palestine was inhabited by the Canaanites originally. 
Mark calls her a Greek, and also a Syro-Phenician. She was a 
Greek in religion and a Syro-Phenician by birth. Mark also says 
that Jesus entered a house but he could not be hid. He seems 
at this time to have desired seclusion. No doubt Herod and his 
other enemies were seeking him and he did not care to be known 
at that time for his time had not come. This woman came to him 
crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David! my 
daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. ' ' Literally is very evil 
deviled. She is so distressed in her mother love that she makes 
the case her own and prays as if it was a personal affliction, 
"Have mercy on me." This is the kind of prayer for others 
that brings favor with God. When we enter into the prayer for 
sinners as if it were our own case, there is bound to be travail of 
soul which gives great efficacy to prayer. When we take the case 
of the lost upon our own souls as if it were our own case, such 
travail brings results. It touches the heart of the Master. 

But she came the wrong way. She had faith but it was a 
misguided faith and she had to have instruction and light, for 
God will not let down his standard for any one. She had to 
pray for some time until she got the right attitude of soul. That 
is the reason many times we have to pray a long time until God 
can teach us to come to him aright: until we have taken the right 
place before him: until our consecration is complete; or until we 
see our true condition. Thousands have come to more light and a 
better experience by praying. They have been led to self examina- 
tion that they might discover what the reason was that they re- 
ceived no answer. He who has learned to pray successfully and ob; 
tain answers to his prayers has arrived at a very high state of 
grace. Prayer is a great means of grace and they who practice 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 219 

it much are sure to grow in grace as well as to have their prayers 
answered. 

What then was the difficulty with this woman? She certainly 
was enough in earnest. So earnest was she that the disciples 
felt that she was defeating the very end for which Jesus had 
come there — to find rest and privacy. So they said to him, Send 
her away. They wanted him to heal the daughter at once and 
let her go. If fervency alone would have answered her prayer, 
she would have had it answered at once. But God will not listen 
to mere fervency, unless we come in the right attitude before 
him. We have seen people pound the bench and cry aloud and 
resort to all sorts of physical contortions but they got no answer 
from heaven, because they would not fulfill the conditions which 
God has laid down. 

This woman was a heathen and she came and addressed him 
by his title as Jewish Messiah. She said, "Thou son of David." 
This was the title always given to the Messiah. She came as a 
heathen, expecting to have help as if she were a Jew. She was 
an outsider but came as if she were a Jew. It is a good deal 
like an unconverted sinner who might come to God and while 
yet dead in trespasses and sins, call him Father and exhort him to 
do what he has promised to do only for Christians — they of 
the household of faith. It is like sinners, who do not know they 
are saved from their sins asking God to sanctify them. He has 
never promised to entirely sanctify any one but Christians. Let 
us be sure that men are converted before we have them pray to 
be sanctified. Notice the significance of his reply, "I am not 
sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." He was not 
sent to the ' ' goats ' ' but to the ' ' lost sheep. ' ' He never preached 
to the Gentiles in all his ministry. It was always to the church. 
When he sent out the disciples, he said, "Go not into the way 
of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not; 
but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 
10:5-6). Paul says: "Now I say that Jesus Christ was a min- 
ister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the 
promises made unto the fathers" (Kom. 15:8). His mission to the 
Gentiles did not begin until after he had his church sanctified at 
Pentecost. It is of little use to seek to save the lost with an 



220 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

unsanetified church. This is his rule, Get the church fully saved 
aud then God comes in convicting power by His Spirit on the un- 



The woman takes the hint or suggestion and now comes the 
second time. She no longer addresses him as Son of David, but 
she falls before him and says, "Lord help me. ' ' Now she takes her 
proper place as a sinner. She addresses him by the title Lord and 
not ' ' Son of David ' ' any more. She had no right to come with 
that name. She uses his name as Lord over all both Jew and 
Gentile. Jesus would have her confess her right relation. So 
he said, "It is not meet to take the children's bread and to cast 
it to dogs. ' ' The Jews called the Gentiles dogs. ' ' Mark *adds an 
important sentence, which both explains this declaration and gives 
the key to the woman's reply. Christ says, 'Let the children first 
be filled : for it is not meet to take the children 's bread, etc. ' This 
language implies that there is food in the gospel for the Gentile 
as well as the Jew, but that the Gospel should begin with Israel. 
It is clear from this that Christ did not teach that the Gentiles 
were to be despised and outcast, and did not intend to be so under- 
stood." (Abbott.) 

She replies, "Truth Lord." She takes her proper place. She 
acknowledges that she is a Gentile; that she has no right to 
claim the privileges of the household of God promised only to 
Jews; that she is a sinner. She comes in the proper way of con- 
fession of her condition. Honesty of heart before God is neces- 
sary to receive the answer to our prayers. She adds: "But the 
dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the master's table." 
Our English version fails to bring out the full force of the text. 
The word "dog" in the Greek is not the same in both verses. 
Here it is the Greek word which means the little pet dogs. This 
bright woman in the extremity of her need catches at the word. 
She sees something in him that shows her that he is full of com- 
passion for her even when he must have her take her proper 
place. She knows doubtless that there are gracious promises for 
the Gentiles. Doubtless she was a Jewish proselyte. She knows 
him as full of compassion and so she says, "Truth Lord, for the 
pet dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the table of their Mas- 
ters. ' ' She takes her place, confesses it, but also claims to be one 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 221 

whom he will not cast away and is willing to take the crumbs. 
When we get our proper place before God our prayers will be an- 
swered. She tells him that while he is feeding Israel, it need not 
hinder his feeding the Gentiles who are willing to take the guilty 
sinner's place and acknowledge it; are willing to pick up the 
crumbs. The crumbs of the Lord's table are better than the luxu- 
ries of sin. 

Jesus then breaks forth into praise for her faith thus, "O 
woman, great is thy faith : be it unto thee even as thou wilt. ' ' 
It was a heathen centurion who called forth the praise of Jesus 
at the greatness of his faith (Matt. 8:10), and now it is a heathen 
woman, who again receives the praises of Jesus for her great 
faith. The lesson for us in this is, that great faith will per- 
severe in spite of all obstacles. If we are not heard at once 
let it lead us to self examination and determined perseverance. 
ISotice too, it was a short prayer — only three words — "Lord help 
me." Great faith often goes with small prayers. Some people 
have to pray a long time in order to get rid of their unbelief or 
to nurse their weak faith. Her faith was great. The faith of 
Peter walking on the water, Jesus said, was small. So there are 
degrees of faith. 

When she got home she found that her daughter was restored 
and the devil was gone out of her (Mark 7:30). "Persevering 
faith and prayer are next to omnipotent. No person can thus 
believe and pray without receiving all that his soul requires. This 
is one of the finest lessons in the Book for a penitent or for a 
discouraged believer. Look to Jesus ! As sure as God is in heaven, 
so sure will he hear and answer thee, to the eternal salvation of 
thy soul. Be not discouraged at a little delay: when thou art 
prepared for the blessing, then thou shalt have it. Look up! thy 
salvation is at hand" (Clarke). The daughter was healed although 
she was at home. God will hear our prayers for others though they 
be at the uttermost parts of the earth. 

ANOTHEE MIEACLE TEACHING THE BENEVOLENCE OF 
HOLINESS. Vs. 29-39. 

29 And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the 
sea of Galilee ; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. 



222 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those 
that xcere lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them 
down at Jesus' feet ; and he healed them : 

31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the 
dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the 
blind to see : and they glorified the God of Israel. 

32 Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have 
compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now 
three days, and have nothing to eat : and I will not send them away 
fasting, lest they faint in the way. 

33 And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so 
much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? 

34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And 
they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. 

35 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 

36 And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, 
and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the 
multitude. 

37 And they did all eat, and were filled : and they took up of 
the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. 

38 And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women 
and children. 

39 And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came 
into the coasts of Magdala. 

Holiness whether it be absolute, as in Jesus, or derived as in 
us, to whom it is imparted by the Holy Spirit, is manifested by 
its benevolence. It is always going out of itself to do men good. 
It seeks to benefit all classes. It is full of good works. Our Lord 
feeds the multitudes again. In chapter fourteen, we have the ac- 
count of his having fed five thousand with five loaves of bread 
and two fishes, and having twelve baskets of fragments left. Here 
we have the account of his feeding four thousand with seven 
loaves and a few fishes. 

Jesus performed this miracle because he had compassion on 
the multitude. He did not do it for the sake of display or to 
show a wonder. His miracles were always to help mankind. They 
were parables of the redemption of the soul. He told them in 
one place that he could as truly feed and satisfy the soul as he 
had satisfied their bodies. See our comments on the feeding of the 
five thousand, in chapter fourteen. 



CHAPTER XVI. 
DEPRAVITY IS ALWAYS OPPOSED TO HOLINESS. 

Holiness Carries its Credentials with it, for Those Who Really 
Wish to Believe in it. Vs. 1-4. Holiness is an Inveterate 
Enemy to False Doctrines. Vs. 5-12. The Two Works of 
Grace — Justification and Entire Sanctification — Are Necessary 
to Properly Follow Christ. Vs. 13-28. 

HOLINESS CAREIES ITS CREDENTIALS WITH IT, FOR 

THOSE WHO REALLY WISH TO BELIEVE IN IT. 

Vs. 1-4. 

1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting 
desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. 

2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, 
It will be fair weather : for the sky is red. 

3 And in the morning, /* will be foul weather to day : for the sky 
is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the 
sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? 

4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign ; and 
there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet 
Jonas. And he left them, and departed. 

This chapter, as a whole, shows the attitude of the carnal mind 
towards holiness. The carnal mind is not only "enmity against 
God" but this enmity shows itself in ten thousand forms and 
ways. The nature of God and the carnal mind are as opposite 
as the poles, and contrary one to the other. The Pharisees had 
asked him for a sign from heaven in chapter 12 : 38-40, and he had 
told them that no sign should be given them except the sign 
of the prophet Jonah, that is, his resurrection which was yet to 
take place was typified by the experience of Jonah. See our notes 
on Chapter 12:38-42. Now they come with their enemies, the 
Sadducees, and ask for a sign again. 

The Pharisees and Sadducees were bitter enemies. Their chief 

223 



224 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

points of doctrinal differences were concerning the resurrection of 
the dead and the existence of the soul. The Pharisees were formal- 
ists. The Sadducees were infidels. The Pharisees believed in the 
spiritual nature of man. The Sadducees denied it and were ma- 
terialists. But they laid aside their differences and united to 
attack Jesus, for his teaching had condemned them both. Just 
as Herod and Pilate laid aside their enmity to help on the cruci- 
fixion of Jesus later, so here these two opposite parties were at 
agreement in one thing — to overthrow Jesus. Nothing shows the 
grandeur of a good and worthy cause like the character of the 
enemies it makes. Just as a flood will sometimes bring wild 
beasts together into close quarters and the common danger will 
make them for a time forget their enmity, so was it with wicked 
men against Jesus. So is it wherever holiness, the real essence of 
his teachings, is aggressive. Jesus and holiness fare much alike in 
this world. Zinzendorfians, suppressionists, evolutionists, formal- 
ists, those who believe in the purgation of death and those who 
are advocates of post mortem purgatory are all allied together 
against the second blessing holiness theory. They never meddle 
with each other, but they all agree to fight this. The Wesleyan 
theory of holiness is in good company for it is treated exactly 
as Jesus was treated. These other theories are contradictory to 
each other; they never quarrel or contend, but they are unanimous 
in their attack on real, aggressive holiness. The doctrines that 
fare as did Jesus, have the mark of divinity upon them. 

Matthew says they came asking a sign ' ' tempting him. ' ' They 
did not ask him to show a sign because they were anxious to know 
surely whether he was divine or not. It was to catch him. If 
he had shown them a sign they would doubtless have said that 
it was caused by Satanic power, just as they had said, when he 
healed the man who was possessed of the devil (Matt. 12:24). 
If he did not give them a sign from heaven they would say it was 
because he could not. Jesus understood them. He never worked 
miracles just to gratify curiosity. People who could see the sick 
healed, devils cast out and the dead raised and still wanted a 
sign, did not want it for any good purpose. Jesus carried suffi- 
cient credentials all the time of his divinity, that people could see 
if they wished. His character, his teachings and his miracles were 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 225 

enough to convince honest men. We sometimes think we only need 
to have the genuine experience of holiness and people will see it. 
They will if they have spiritual sight but many have no spiritual 
eyes. They have lost their eyesight if they ever had any. The 
revivals and upbuilding of the church caused by holiness where it 
is preached without hindrance are evidences sufficient to show the 
divinity of holiness. But there are thousands of ecclesiastics, who 
can not see it, because they are determined to do away with it. 

This people were great on signs. They were great people, so 
says Jesus, to read the sky and predict the weather. And yet he says 
they could not discern the signs of the times — the great movements 
in the religious world about them. This is still the fatal weak- 
ness of Phariseeism. These Pharisees could not see what the great 
movement of John the Baptist, fulfilling prophecy, meant. They 
could not see how Jesus was fulfilling their own Scriptures. They 
were blind to the signs of the times showing that the Messiah 
had come. It is inbred sin in men's hearts that hinders their 
spiritual vision. i ' There would be less skepticism if the hearts of 
men were as pure as the evidences of religion are clear" 
(Whedon). The seventy weeks, which Daniel had predicted must 
intervene before the Messiah came, were almost ended but still they 
saw nothing in the great agitation that had arisen concerning 
Jesus. So he repeats what he had already told the Pharisees in 
chapter twelve, ' ' There shall no sign be given unto it, but the 
sign of the prophet Jonas." Jonah typified his resurrection. 
The resurrection of Jesus was the crowning proof of the many 
that he gave of his divinity. They had the opportunity to wait 
and not form snap judgment. See our notes on Chapter twelve, 
verses 38-40. 

HOLINESS IS AN INVETERATE ENEMY OF FALSE DOC- 
TRINES. Vs. 5-12. 

5 And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had 
forgotten to take bread. 

6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the 
leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 

7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we 
have taken no bread. 

8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little 



226 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought 
no bread? 

9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves 
of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 

10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many 
baskets ye took up? 

11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to 
you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the 
Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 

12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of 
the. leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of 
the Sadducees. 

We read in chapter 15 : 39 that Jesus having sent the multitude 
away ' ' took ship and came into the coasts of Magdala. ' ' This was 
the town from which Mary Magdalene came. The disciples were 
so interested in feeding the multitude and in listening to the 
gracious words of Jesus that they had forgotten to take any 
bread for themselves. Jesus used this incident to warn them of 
the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They failed to grasp 
his symbolical meaning and applied it literally. They thought 
he was warning them against taking any bread from the Phari- 
sees and Sadducees. Perhaps they thought that he was afraid 
that the Pharisees and Sadducees, who had become his bitter 
enemies, were intending to poison them all. Jesus then rebukes 
them for their little faith. He then reminded them of the two 
miracles of the feeding of the multitudes, as much as to tell them, 
that his mind was not on literal bread. The want of that did 
not trouble him, for he could feed them at any time, that they 
needed it. He then asked them, ' ' How is it that ye do not under- 
stand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should 
beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?" 
He left them to reason it out. He does not explain what he meant. 
Then they see the symbolism. Leaven is noted for its pervasive 
power. It goes through a whole lump of dough. It is often used 
to denote corruption. False doctrine hurts spiritual food. So 
the disciples now saw that he meant the false doctrines of the 
Pharisees and Sadducees. The disciples had heard the controversy 
that he had with the Pharisees and Sadducees and there was danger 
that they might be led astray by it. Essentially all the false 
doctrines that have hurt spiritual religion in every age are found 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 227 

in the doctrines of the infidel Sadducees and the formal hypocriti- 
cal Pharisees. 

We note that Jesus and the apostles had much to say against 
false doctrines in the way of warning. There is nothing that has 
done Christianity so much damage as false doctrines. The 
heresies in its own midst have wrought more havoc than all the 
attacks of its enemies from the outside. A study of the epistles 
will show in nearly every instance that they were written to guard 
against false doctrines and to exhort to holiness, which is the 
great safeguard against heresy. Spurgeon says that heresy can no 
more dwell with a Spirit-filled church than a fly can light on a 
red hot plate. The flesh, that is, the carnal mind or depravity, 
is the author of heresy. The ' ' old man " is a great helper of false 
doctrine (See Gal. 5:20). It will be noticed that the heresies 
on the sin question, destructive ' ' Higher Criticism ' ' and so forth 
are never found with those who profess and preach the Wesleyan 
doctrine of entire sanctification. As the Apostles at the same time 
exposed heresy and urged entire sanctification so should we as the 
best method of purging out false doctrine. The holy people are 
well enough satisfied with the old time doctrines that always 
bring salvation, when faithfully preached. It is Phariseeism that 
always brings in human traditions to take the place of success- 
ful doctrines. Holiness is then the antidote for that formal re- 
ligion, which is taught by Pharisees of every age, and the infidelity 
of Sadduceeism, which seeks to stay in the church, whose doctrines 
it has promised to stand by, but which it is secretly nullifying. 



THE TWO WOEKS OF GEACE— JUSTIFICATION AND EN- 
TIRE SANCTIFICATION AEE NECESSARY TO 
PEOPEELY FOLLOW CHRIST. Vs. 13-28. 

13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked 
his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 

14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist : 
some, Elias ; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the 
Son of the living God. 

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him. Blessed art thou, 



228 COMMENTAKY ON THE GOSPEL 

Simon Barjona : for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, 
hut my Father which is in heaven. 

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this 
rock I will build my church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail 
against it. 

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven : 
and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven : 
and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 

20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man 
that he was Jesus the Christ. 

21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, 
how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the 
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised 
again the third day. 

22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be 
it far from thee, Lord : this shall not be unto thee. 

23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, 
Satan : thou art an offense unto me : for thou savourest not the 
things that be of God, but those that be of men. 

24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after 
me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it : and whosoever 
will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, 
and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for 
his soul? 

27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with 
his angels ; and then he shall reward every man according to his 
works. 

28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which 
shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his 
kingdom. 

We now come to one of the many passages of the Bible that 
show inbred sin or depravity in the regenerate. Jesus went to the 
coasts (or borders) of Caesarea Philippi. There were two cities 
by the name of Caesarea. One was on the sea coast on the western 
border of Samaria. This was called Caesarea in honor of the 
family of Augustus Caesar. It was situated at the very northern 
most extremity of Palestine. This was the furtherest north that 
Jesus went in his journeyings. He had now come to the climax 
of his ministry. He had performed his miracles and imbued his 
disciples with his doctrines and now it was time to prepare them 
to take up the work after his departure. And now apart from 
the world, he goes a step further, and requires of them a con- 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 229 

fession of their opinion of himself. He is laying now the founda- 
tion of his church. So he asks them what the people are saying 
about him, or, in other words, what men think of him and his 
doctrines. They replied that some thought he was John the Bap- 
tist, arisen from the dead. Others thought he was Elijah; others 
Jeremiah or one of the prophets. We sometimes hear people say 
that if they had lived in the times of Christ and seen his miracles 
they would have believed on him. But there were multitudes, who 
lived in his time, who did not comprehend him after all his mir- 
acles and teachings. 

There was the same differences of opinion in society as to 
the character of Jesus as there are now. Some think now that 
he was only a good man. Others think he was the world 's greatest 
teacher. Others believe him to be the divine Son of God. Having 
learned what people thought of him, he now asks the vital ques- 
tion, "But whom say ye that I am?" He does not force them 
to their opinion but asks them to give it as a conclusion of what 
they had seen and heard. This is the vital question, not what do 
others think of Jesus but what do we think. What can we say 
about Jesus from our personal standpoint of experience? 

Our opinion of Jesus makes all the difference in the world as 
to our destiny. It does not make much difference what opinion we 
have of Napoleon Bonaparte or of George Washington, but it 
makes all the difference in the world as to our opinion of Jesus. 
For right opinion is necessary to right action. If we see in him 
only a human character it will avail us nothing, as regards our 
salvation. If we fail to see in him a Saviour we shall fail to 
get saved. 

Our real opinion of Jesus is our life and testimony combined. 
Either is incomplete if taken alone. It is inconsistent to testify 
to salvation if we do not have it, and it is equally inconsistent to 
have it and not testify to it. These were acquainted with Jesus. 
It is possible for us to know him too. Paul said that he was will- 
ing to suffer the loss of all things, that he had called good and 
great, that he might know him. It is possible to know a good 
deal about Jesus and yet not know him. 

We are to tell what we have found out about Jesus to the world 
about us. The world expects a man 's friends to tell the best story 



230 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

about him; to give the best representation of him. We are 
therefore called to go out and tell what we know about Jesus 
from personal experience. Peter said from personal experience, 
' ' Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. " ' ' Ye are my 
witnesses saith the Lord." God expects us to know Jesus so well 
that we can go to the world and tell about him. This is the great- 
est method of preaching the gospel — by testimony of those who 
have the experience of knowing Jesus. Christianity is the only re- 
ligion that has living witnesses. We read in Eevelation that the 
saints who overcame the devil overcame him through the blood 
of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. This is the dis- 
tinguishing mark of true Christianity which differentiates it from 
formalism on the one hand and perverted forms like Catholicism on 
the other — the fact of it is we have an experience that can be 
told. Satan does not care how many great sermons are preached 
if there is no testimony. He would like to have it appear that 
Christianity is a beautiful, impracticable theory. 

When Peter had given this testimony Jesus said to him, 
"Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: for flesh and blood hath 
not revealed it unto thee but my Father which is in heaven." 
Bar-Jona means Son of Jonah. Some of the commentators have 
seen an allegorical meaning in this name as Jonah means a dove. 
It would be then Simon, son of the dove, that is, son of the Holy 
Spirit, who is likened to a dove. It would indicate that he was 
a saved man. But we have some very positive proofs that he was 
a regenerate man in this address of Christ. Let those who have 
been unable to see that Peter and the other disciples were saved 
men before Pentecost notice the proofs of it here. (1) Jesus calls 
him ' ' blessed. ' ' Who ' ' blessed ' ' him if not his Heavenly Father 
of whom he speaks here. He was not a blessed sinner. That would 
be a contradiction of terms. 

(2) Peter was so spiritual that the Father had revealed to 
him that Jesus was the Christ. Now we know that this was a 
truth far in advance of what most people of that day had re- 
ceived. And we know that a person has to be spiritual in order 
to receive spiritual truths. "The natural man receiveth not the 
things of the Spirit, neither can he know them, for they are spir- 
itually discerned." This great truth which the Jewish church 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 231 

had failed to see was revealed to Peter because he »was a blessed 
spiritual man. Paul says, "no man can call Jesus Lord except 
by the Holy Ghost." And John says, "Whosoever shall confess 
that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him. " So we see 
that Peter was a spiritual man, to whom the Father could, in 
advance of the Jewish church, reveal the Messiahship of Jesus, 
when men all about were calling him a blasphemer. 

This proves conclusively that there is such a thing as spiritual 
revelation. Jesus says the Father made a special revelation of 
truth to Peter. So we have here the doctrine that God reveals 
his truth to men. ' ' Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I 
build my church." 

The word Peter is Greek and means a rock. Jesus uses Peter 's 
name with erf ect by saying, literally translated, ' ' Thou art a rock, 
and on this rock I will build my church." Then he adds, "And 
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The word 
"church" is from the Greek and signifies the called out ones. 
The church is the people who have left the world at the call of 
Jesus. The gates of hell mean the forces of hell. This is taken 
from the ancient sallying forth of the military forces of a city 
out from the gates. It means that the forces of hell shall not 
prevail against the true church of God. It means more than the 
organization called the church. The New Testament church had 
not been organized at this time. The invisible church of Christ 
is of greater and wider scope than any organization, although 
organized effort of those of like precious faith is always a help 
to the strengthening of the kingdom of God. 

There are many views of what Christ meant when he said to 
Peter, "On this rock will I build my church." The Eomanists 
say that the church was built on Peter and that he was the first 
pope. We can not believe that the church was built on Peter, for 
in verse 23, in rebuking Peter, Jesus had to say to him, ' ' Get thee 
behind me Satan." That would surely be a poor foundation for 
a church. Ephesians 2:20 states that the foundation is "of the 
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner 
stone. ' ' All the apostles were as truly foundation stones as Peter. 
We believe that Peter was here simply the spokesman of the whole 
company of apostles. Why did Jesus call him a rock, and why 



232 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

did he say, ' ' on this rock I will build my church ? ' ' Because of 
the confession that Peter had just made. The great strength of 
the church is a spiritual experience and a burning testimony. The 
experience and testimony made these apostles rock-men; men of 
granite, who turned the world upside down. And the church today 
that has a testimony born of a living experience is invincible. It 
is established. The gates of hell can not prevail against such. 
They have prevailed against all other religions and faith. This 
is what gave the early church its victories. They were all men 
of unmistakable spiritual experience to which they witnessed. 

1 ' And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. ' ' 
Jesus has given the witnessing church the power to unlock the 
kingdom of God and let unsaved men into the kingdom of heaven. 
On the day of Pentecost, Peter and the witnessing church who 
were telling the mighty things of God so that all the people heard 
them in their own languages, unlocked the kingdom of heaven and 
let three thousand in that day, and kept it up after that. ' ' And 
whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth." This same witnessing 
church binds and looses on earth. It works under the leadership 
of the Spirit and its testimony and prayers will bring such con- 
viction on men that they must yield to the light or the Spirit 
stops striving with them, and their destiny is fixed because they 
refuse the offer of salvation and fight conviction that the witness- 
ing church, through the Holy Ghost, brings upon them. Many a 
man's destiny has been fixed, years before he died, because he 
refused the call that came through the agonizing prayers and tes- 
timony of the witnessing church, and he has sinned away the day 
of grace. 

"Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man 
that he was the Christ." The time had not yet come for them 
to tell, for they had not yet that full witnessing power which 
comes when the fulness of the Spirit has been received. The full 
qualification for witnessing does not come until we have received 
the fulness of the Spirit. Jesus said, "Ye shall receive power 
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be wit- 
nesses unto me." Just as taking the oath qualifies a man and 
gives him the authority of the government to be a witness, so 
God gives his witnesses full authority when he baptizes them with 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 233 

the Holy Ghost, and men have to do something with the testimony. 
The Spirit accompanies it and men have to decide. They can not 
avoid it. There was no embargo put on their testimony, by Jesus, 
after they had received the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. 

"From that time forth Jesus began to show unto his disciples 
how he must go to Jerusalem." For some time he had been in 
seclusion, because of his enemies. Now that the disciples had seen 
spiritual truth enough to recognize him, as Messiah, a new epoch 
begins. They had received the light and confessed that Jesus 
was the Messiah, now he gives them more light and tells them 
that he was to be the suffering Messiah, who was to be killed by 
the leaders of the church. As sure as we welcome light and ac- 
knowledge it and confess to it, as these disciples did, we shall have 
more light given us. If we like what we have we will welcome 
more. We are all in the path of increasing light if we are honest. 
We, if we have been born again and can say from a living experi- 
ence, like the disciples, that Jesus is divine, will be led on to the 
crucified life. We will have fellowship with his sufferings. There 
is as truly a crucified life for us as there was for Jesus. It is the 
crucifixion of the old man within us. God does not intend we 
shall stop with the elementary experience of knowing Christ. In 
the language of Charles Wesley we should make it our prayer, 

"Only Jesus will I know, 
And Jesus crucified." 

The same things are said of the believer that were said of 
Jesus: both are born of the Spirit, crucified and resurrected. 
Paul says, "If ye be risen with Christ seek the things which are 
above." This was a staggering truth to Peter. He had an en- 
tirely different view of what the Messiah was to be. He was 
thinking of earthly, worldly grandeur, when Jesus should drive 
out the hated Eomans and sit on the throne of hi3 father, David, 
and have with him the twelve apostles as his cabinet. And now 
to be told that Jesus was to be rejected and even killed by the 
chief men of the church was too much for Peter's ambitions. 
There are many who embrace the religion of Jesus now, and have 
the same carnal notion of religion. When told of the crucifixion 
of the old nature and that the thing is unpopular with the leaders 



234 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

of thQ eeclesiastieism, they will not accept it. They even fight 
against it. The religion of the cross is not now and never will be 
popular. 

So Peter began to rebuke the Lord and told him this should 
not be. But Jesus turned and rebuked him, saying, "Get thee 
behind me Satan, thou art an offence unto me." This seems 
very contradictory. A few minutes before Jesus had called him 
"blessed," now he calls him "Satan." A few minutes before 
he had called him a ' ' rock, ' ' now he says he is a stumbling stone — 
an offence. How shall we explain this contradiction? It seems 
that there were two natures in Peter. Every man that has been 
truly regenerated has, to his astonishment, had this experience 
of finding the two natures in him — the blessed nature and the 
Satan nature. Some people say where does the Bible teach the 
two nature theory? We answer, right here, this is one of the many 
places. « It shows inbred sin or depravity in a regenerate man : 
one who had been called "blessed" a few minutes before. Nor 
can this apparent contradiction be explained on any other suppo- 
sition. Dean Alford, of the Church of England, one of the ablest 
New Testament exegetes of the last century, says, "The same 
Peter who had just now made so noble and spiritual a confession, 
and received so high a blessing, now shows the weak and carnal 
side of his nature, becomes a stumbling block in the way of his 
Lord, and earns the very rebuff with which the tempter before him 
had been dismissed. Nor is there anything improbable in this. 
The expression of spiritual faith may, and frequently does, pre- 
cede the betraying of carnal weakness." This is in harmony with 
the sermon of John Wesley entitled, "Sin in Believers." 

Let us notice then some of the phases of inbred sin in the be- 
liever, not yet wholly sanctified. (1) It reproves the Lord. Peter 
began to reprove Jesus for declaring that he was to be killed by 
the leaders of the church. Peter had a different idea of religion 
from this revelation. His idea was to have Jesus come as a con- 
queror and drive out the hated Eomans and set up the regal throne 
of his father, David, and make the disciples his chief advisers and 
cabinet of administration. Inbred sin is that principle in us that 
rebukes the Lord and repines and frets at the place where he has 
put us in life. Those who possess it, or who are tempted to give 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 235 

way to it, are often restless and unhappy. The Christian who 
has been wholly sanctified has got rid of that evil principle and, 
like Paul, can say, ' * We know that all things work together for 
good to them that love God." He accepts everything as either 
sent by God or permitted for a wise purpose and is in harmony 
with the will of God in all things. 

(2) Inbred sin is that in us that is a stumbling block to the 
progress of the Lord. Christ told Peter here, "thou art an of- 
fence (a stumbling block) unto me." Peter was a stumbling block 
to his Lord, who was on the way to the cross. Peter would have 
kept him from it if he could. If he had prevented him from 
going to the cross there would have been no salvation for us. In- 
bred sin is that principle in us that would hinder us from going 
to the cross and being entirely sanctified. If we had listened to 
it we would never have been converted, and if we listen to it we 
will never be entirely sanctified, for the great and only reason 
that men have for not being entirely sanctified is they do not want 
to be crucified. Inbred sin in believers is the greatest hindrance 
to the cause of God that there is. 

(3) Inbred sin is that in the believer that does not relish spir- 
itual things. Jesus said to Peter, "Thou savourest not the things 
that be of God, but those that be of men." There is a principle 
within the believer who has not been wholly sanctified that does not 
relish the things of God. The word savour means to have a good 
taste. There is something in us that does not have an appetite for 
spiritual things. It causes us to do duty under compulsion and not 
because we love to do it. We have to goad ourselves up to the 
performance of duty. We have to say, "I suppose I must." 
This principle within us, from our earliest moments, naturally 
takes to evil. Our children all come into the world with this dis- 
position. We do not have to teach them to be bad. They take 
naturally to those things which are bad. But we do have to teach 
them to be good. 

(4) Inbred sin in believers is that principle within us that 
seeks to save our temporal lives at the expense of our eternal 
welfare. Jesus says to Peter, "Whosoever will save his life shall 
lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find 
it." Abbott says it should, in order to bring out the exact mean- 



236 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

ing of the Greek, be thus translated, "Whosoever is determined 
to save his life shall lose it: but whosoever is willing to lose his 
life for my sake shall find it." There is a social life and repu- 
tation that people wish to save with the neighbors. They are 
unwilling to die to self and sin. There is a business life that 
many are anxious to save. They fear the harm that will come to 
their business if they go all the length of the narrow way with 
Jesus. There is an ecclesiastical life that some (we fear many) 
of the preachers wish to save, so they make excuses for not going 
to Calvary with Jesus. They wish to save themselves and keep 
on good terms with men. It costs too much, they think, to die 
with Jesus. So they yield to that principle within them that 
hates God and defies him, and makes all sorts of excuses for the 
way of the flesh. 

Jesus now lays down the real way to heaven, the essence of 
true religion. It is all contained in this one verse (verse 24), 
"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take 
up his cross and follow me. ' ' It will be noticed that coming after 
him is the first clause and following him is the last clause. They 
both mean the same thing. Between these two clauses are the 
two works of divine grace known as regeneration and entire sanc- 
tification, or to put it another way, the two experiences — conver- 
sion and entire sanetification. (1) "Let him deny himself." The 
life of regeneration, or the experience we obtain, at ' ' conversion ' ' 
is renunciation of the self life. The man who really gets con- 
verted has declared war on the self life. He has renounced it. 
He takes the advice of Paul and makes "no provision for the 
flesh. ' ' He cuts off the supplies, the food of the flesh or old 
man. He forsakes all he has. He comes out from the world and 
is separate. His repentance leads him to say good bye to the 
world. "Whosoever is born of God overcometh the world," says 
John. We know that we are not putting the standard of conver- 
sion too high, for this is where the spiritually aggressive churches 
put it. Some people think that those who profess entire saneti- 
fication make a high profession. So also do those who profess 
to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ in any degree. Conver- 
sion, that is scriptural, is a very high experience. The churches 
require the baptismal covenant which is a high ; rof ession. Here 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 237 

it is, "I renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and 
glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the 
carnal desires of the flesh, so that I will not follow nor be led 
by them." It will be noticed that this covenant required by the 
church, acknowledges that the "carnal desires of the flesh" are 
all in the converted man, and the Bible says he will no longer 
let them lead him. The difference between him and the uncon- 
verted world is that the world is led by these desires. Paul says, 
"In time past ye walked according to the course of this world, 
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that 
now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also 
we all had our conversation in times past in the lust of the flesh, 
fulfilling the desire of the flesh and of the mind: and were by 
nature the children of wrath even as others." "Conversion" is 
a great experience. Not only are we no longer led by the flesh 
but we even renounce it — make war upon it. But this is the first 
step only. 

(2) "And take up his cross." This is the second step. It 
is singular what strange and almost ridiculous notions men have 
as to the nature of the cross. We have seen those who thought it 
meant to testify to the glorious experience of their sins forgiven. 
vVe have heard others say it means the performance of duty. Is 
it a cross to tell to sinners round what a dear Saviour we have 
found? Is it a cross to do what we believe the God, who loves us, 
wishes us to do! Away with such trifling! The cross was the 
instrument of death, and of ignominous death, too. The man who 
carried it was on his way to the place where he was to be cruci- 
fied upon it, until he was dead. It was the punishment meted 
out to the worst criminals. So the man to be crucified on it, as 
he staggered under the load of that cross, was hooted and in- 
sulted by the rabble and execrated by all the world as he hung 
there in his agony, until he died. It meant more than saying a 
few words in favor of Jesus at an ordinary prayer meeting or 
doing a few errands for the Lord who bought us. It means igno- 
minious death. It means today the death of the sin principle 
within us. It means the crucifixion of the ' ' old man, ' f and the 
attendant reproach that comes to those who are thus crucified. 
It means the reproach that comes from a life and profession of the 



238 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

unpopular doctrine of entire sanetification. The offence of the 
cross will never cease while the world stands, or while the carnal 
nature remains. The offence of the cross has ceased with nearly 
all kinds of religion except the life and profession of entire sane- 
tification. Paul says, "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus 
shall suffer persecution." Does this statement apply to the popu- 
lar religion all about us? If it does, will some one tell us how? 
It is an awful comment on religionists that have no persecution. 
It would be called a huge joke to say that the world-loving, flesh- 
pampering thing called religion is ever persecuted. Notice Jesus 
did not say we must bear the cross that is laid upon us, but we 
must take it up. We must embrace it from choice. We must take 
it up because we love Jesus so much that we propose to follow 
him. Paul took it up because he loved it. He said, "God forbid 
that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
by whom I am crucified unto the world and the world unto me." 
When we have renounced the old self life, have been converted, 
and have resolved to go with Jesus all the way to Calvary, and 
consequently been entirely sanctified, we are willing to have our 
names cast out as fanatics, or disturbers, or enthusiasts for Jesus' 
sake, and glory in it, as Paul did, then we shall receive from God 
a complete salvation. Do we love Jesus enough to go with him all 
the way? 

This is where so many shrink and find all sorts of excuses 
against sanetification. They do not want to die out to the old 
nature. This is where the mass of religionists are seeking to save 
their lives. Jesus now goes on to clinch his statements, thus, 
"For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world 
and lose his own soul?" This text is often applied to sinners. 
And it may be so applied in an accommodated sense, but it was 
spoken directly to the disciples. It applies to disciples. Many a 
disciple has followed Jesus so far, but could not give up the es- 
teem of the world for the reproach of the crucified life, and has 
stopped there. Here is where many, who started well, have lost 
their souls. He then clinches the statement or argument more 
firmly by saying, "For the Son of Man shall come in the glory 
of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every 
man according to his works. ' ' He means that in the light of the 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 239 

Judgment day we can not afford to miss our opportunity of going 
all the way to Calvary with Jesus. No matter if men do heap the 
reproach upon us that the crucified must meet. Better the re- 
proach of men than the reproach of the Judge at that great 
day. Notice he says the degree of the reward at the Judgment 
will be according to our works. Our works will not save us, but 
they will determine the measure of our reward. If we have genu- 
ine faith it will help us to perform good works. We are saved 
that we may perform good works, but the amount and quality of 
our works determine our reward in heaven. Jesus will come in 
Judgment. We must accept holiness or hell. 

He then says, " There are some standing here, which shall 
not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his 
kingdom." This does not evidently refer to his "second visible 
coming" at the Judgment, but to his coming through the descent 
of the Spirit at Pentecost, and thus establishing the kingdom of 
God. Some who were standing there saw that later, but all of 
them have passed away and the second coming has not yet tran- 
spired. There are several comings of Jesus. He came at the siege 
of Jerusalem. He comes at the death of believers who sleep in 
Jesus. He came at Pentecost, and he is coming again to wind 
up the affairs of this age, and to judge the world. He came and 
established his kingdom when he sent the Holy Ghost upon the 
church at Pentecost. By comparing the parallel passages in Mark 
and Luke we find that he said a great deal that Matthew does 
not report here. Mark says (Ch. 9:1), "Until they have seen the 
kingdom of God come with power." Luke says (Ch. 9:27), "Until 
they see the kingdom of God." See our notes on Matthew 10:23. 



CHAPTER XVII. 
TRANSFIGURATION. 

There May be Great Blessings Without Sanctification. Vs. 1-13. 
The Weakness of the Disciples Before Pentecost. Vs. 14-23. 
Holy People Will Submit to Injustice Rather Than by Resist- 
ing Manifest the Appearance of Evil. Vs. 24-27. 

THEEE MAY BE GKEAT BLESSINGS WITHOUT SANCTI- 
FICATION. Vs. 1-13. 

1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his 
brother, and ibringeth them up into an high mountain apart. 

2 And was transfigured before them : and his face did shine as 
the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 

3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talk- 
ing with him. 

4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good 
for us to be here : if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles ; 
one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 

5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them : 
and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved 
Son, in whom I am well pleased ; hear ye him. 

6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and 
were sore afraid. 

7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be 
not afraid. 

8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save 
Jesus only. 

9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged 
them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be 
risen again from the dead. 

10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes 
that Elias must first come? 

11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall 
first come, and restore all things. 

12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they 
knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Like- 
wise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 

241 



242 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of 
John the Baptist. 

A careful study of divine revelation will show that it has al- 
ways been gradual. God has not flashed all the truth upon us 
at once, for we could not bear it. This may be seen in the reve- 
lation of the Old Testament and also more particularly in the 
revelation of the Messiahship of Jesus. Matthew has shown us 
how Jesus unfolded it gradually all the way along. He began 
with the miraculous birth of Jesus; then the marvelous revolu- 
tionary truth of the Sermon on the Mount; then the miracles 
that proved that what he was and what he said was of divine 
origin; then his contest and victories over the ecclesiastical lead- 
ers of the day; then the recognition which the candid minds of the 
disciples had made and confessed (as seen in the last chapter). 
While the wicked Pharisees and Sadducees had seen nothing in 
him his disciples had recognized him as the Messiah. Now, hav- 
ing established in the minds of his disciples the persuasion that 
he was divine, he had told them that he must suffer and be killed 
and thus offer himself for the sins of the world. And lest the 
disciples should be discouraged at this advanced revelation of his 
death, which had upset their false notions of the nature of his 
Messiahship, and having laid down the exceedingly strict require- 
ments necessary to following him, even self renunciation and cru- 
cifixion, he reveals himself in as much of his heavenly glory as 
they could bear, lest they be discouraged in what he had said, 
in chapter 16, as to his own death and the necessity of taking up 
the cross. 

The transfiguration came in at just the right time. It was 
needed here to keep their faith from staggering, and also to pre- 
pare them for Gethsemane and Calvary. The nearly three years 
training of the disciples with Jesus must have been a constant 
series of surprises to them. The revelation of Christ to the soul of 
the believer is much the same, a gradual unfolding of the truth 
from the time we first had the light of awakening and conviction. 
We remember he said on a later occasion, ' ' I have yet many things 
to say unto you but ye can not bear them now." 

This great manifestation which they received on this mountain 
was not entire sanctification. He had already been telling them 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 243 

about the gift of the Holy Ghost (See Luke 11:13). But this 
manifestation of the Transfiguration was not that gift. They did 
not receive it until Pentecost. We have seen those who thought 
that some wonderful mountain top experience or revelation that 
they had received was the baptism with the Holy Ghost. Not so; 
we may have many blessings before we receive the crowning bless- 
ing — the Baptism with the Holy Ghost. We may have many gifts 
of the Spirit before we have the gift of the Spirit himself, as 
our abiding Comforter and cleanser. The disciples had a wonder- 
ful experience on the mount, but it was not what they got at 
Pentecost, and it was above anything ever experienced by the 
world. Let us not rely on great manifestations, but let us seek 
the blessing that kills the old man; that destroys inbred sin. "A 
great blessing" is one thing, but the blessing that cleanses the 
heart from all sin is another matter. 

' ' And after six days. ' ' Six days after the events of the last 
chapter, where he had told them of his coming death and of the 
necessity of being saved from all sin; of having the old nature 
crucified. They had had six days to think over these startling 
truths and ruggedness of the conditions of following Jesus. 
" Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John, his brother." Why did 
he take these three and not the other nine? We do not know, 
but it seems to us that they were men of stronger character than 
the others and probably of more piety. No doubt they were his 
special friends, for Jesus was human and had his special friends 
like all of us. Paul calls Peter, James and John the three pil- 
lars of the church (Gal. 2:9). They were with Jesus at the 
raiding of Jairus' daughter and in Gethsemane. They evidently 
had a more leading part in the foundation of his church than the 
other disciples. It was necessary that they should be well rooted 
and grounded in the faith. ' ' Bringeth them up into a high moun- 
tain apart." Probably Mt. Hermon. Why on a mountain? We 
suppose because there was more privacy, up above the world. 
Jesus often went into the mountains to pray. There were many 
notable events in scriptural history that took place upon mountain 
tops. Sinai, with the law; Horeb, with the burning bush, a,nd the 
revelations to Elijah; Carmel, where Elijah triumphed over the 



244 COMMENTAKY ON THE GOSPEL 

prophets of Baal, and the mount of the Beatitudes are instances 
of the remarkable revelation of God on the mountain tops. 

Luke tells us that Jesus was praying when he was transfigured 
(Luke 9:29). It is notable that on all the great occasions of his 
life when he had the divine manifestations they came when he 
was praying. He prayed much. When he was baptized by John 
and the Spirit came upon him, he was praying. He was transfig- 
ured when he was praying; an angel came and ministered to him 
as he prayed in Gethsemane. "His face did shine as the sun, 
and his raiment was white as the light." Some of the glory 
which he will have when he comes the second time appeared. His 
body was the same and yet it glowed with an effulgence such as 
we believe he will possess in his glorified body. It was this that 
overpowered the keepers of his tomb and they fell as dead men, 
as the angel came and rolled away the stone and he came forth. 
He showed these disciples some of the heavenly glory. Peter 
never forgot it and years afterwards spoke of it to the churches 
as the convincing proof of the divinity of Christ. (See 2 Pet. 
1:16-18). Peter had believed and confessed that Jesus was the 
Messiah, but now he had the witness or revelation of it. He had 
believed before, on sufficient evidence, but now he had full proof 
of it in the revelation of the glory and the voice from the cloud. 
The believer who acts on the evidence that God has given him 
for his faith will get a revelation or divine assurance that is un- 
mistakable. And we understand that the transfiguration was this 
evidence. Let us then confess our faith in Christ and we will 
have greater revelations of his glory. The Pharisees said the work 
of Jesus was only a cunning fraud, by agency of devils that Jesus 
had palmed off on the people. But Peter says in his epistles, 
"We have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made 
known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
but were eye witnesses of his majesty. For he received from God 
the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice from 
the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
pleased. ' ' Let us not suppose that there are no revelations in the 
justified experience. There are. We must not belittle them. But 
they are not permanent like the abiding of the Holy Comforter. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 245 

Jesus could not have given them this revelation at the beginning. 
They were not prepared for it. 

But this was not all the revelation that these chosen disciples 
received. ' ' Behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias 
talking with him." Luke tells us the subject of their conversa- 
tion was not about the glories of the eternal world, but about 
"his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." How 
did the disciples know who Moses and Elijah were? We suppose 
that the very conversation that they heard must have revealed 
who they were, or they might have been told by Jesus, or they 
might have received divine illumination on the point, just as Peter 
had received a revelation that Jesus was the Christ. It was neces- 
sary that these disciples, who were to be the pillars of the church, 
should hear this testimony of Moses, the leader of the dispensa- 
tion of the law, and Elijah, leader of the dispensation of the 
prophets, conversing on the death of Christ that they might see 
how the dispensations all centered, not only in Christ but in the 
death and atonement of Christ. 

Here the law, the prophets and the disciples are all testifying 
to Christ, for the disciples had testified to his Messiahship through 
Peter, as we saw in the last chapter. It was a grand assemblage. 
The like of it has never been seen since. "They speak not of his 
miracles, nor of his teaching, nor of the honor which he put upon 
the Scriptures, nor of the unreasonable opposition to him, and his 
patient endurance of it. They speak not of the glory that they 
were themselves enshrouded in, and the glory which he was soon 
to reach. Their one subject of talk is his decease, which he was 
going to accomplish at Jerusalem. One fancies that he might hear 
them say, "Worthy is the Lamb which is to be slain" (Brown). 
We learn from this that Moses and Elijah were not asleep: that 
death is not a state of unconsciousness. The spirit world, for all 
we know, may all be about us. If we only had our eyes opened 
as did the young man who was with Elisha (2 Kings 6:17). 

1 ' Then answered Peter. ' ' He seems to be spokesman of the 
apostles, probably the readiest to talk. Some have the gift of 
speech more than others. They can talk even when they do not 
know how it sounds or what they are going to say. This was his 
natural temperament. At any rate, Peter 's speech showed submis- 



246 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

sion to the divine will, for he says, "Lord. " He had usually 
called him Master, but now he says ' ' Lord. ' ' He adds, ' ' If thou 
wilt." Notice the submissive spirit. "Let us make three taber- 
nacles." This is unselfish. He wanted to make tabernacles for 
Jesus, Moses and Elijah. He wanted to keep them with him and 
be in that heavenly company all the time. Luke says he said 
this, "Not knowing what he said," and Mark says of them all, 
' ' for they were sore afraid. ' ' "While Peter was yet speaking ' ' A 
bright cloud overshadowed them." This was probably the Sheki- 
nah, the cloud that manifested itself in the tabernacle and temple 
of Solomon. And there was a voice out of the cloud, saying, 
' ' This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased : hear ye 
him. ' ' So they had the evidence of the sense of hearing and sight 
as to the deity of Jesus. Moses, Elijah and the Father, all three 
testified to the Messiahship of Jesus. The voice said, "hear ye 
him." If ever there was an excuse for worshipping the saints, 
as Eoman Catholicism teaches, it was here where Moses and Elias 
were shining forth with glory, but the voice said, ' ' Hear ye him. ' ' 
We are not to listen to any one but Jesus. It is often our duty to 
keep silent. Happy is the man who knows when to listen. 

The disciples were overcome with fear and fell on their faces. 
While they were delighted with the shining glory, the voice fright- 
ened them. There is something in that voice that takes hold of 
the very soul. The people at Mt. Sinai besought Moses to pray 
that God speak no more to them. That voice, says the author of 
the Epistle to the Hebrews, "once shook the earth." Jesus came 
and touched them and said, "Arise and be not afraid." What 
comforting assurance there must have been in the voice of T esus. 
It is a terrible thing to hear the voice of God if we are not on 
good terms with His Son. 

They lifted up their eyes but Moses and Elijah had disap- 
peared. Jesus remained and they saw no man save Jesus only. 
Thank God if every one else disappears Jesus remains. He is the 
central figure of history and the center of the affections of his 
true disciples. Let us see "Jesus only." 

As they came down from the mountain Jesus charged them, 
saying, ' ' Tell the vision to no man until the Son of Man be risen 
from the dead." The word vision here means simply sight. We 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 247 

are not to understand that this was what we term a vision in the 
sense of unreality. It was something actual which they really 
saw. Luke says, they told no one until after the resurrection of 
Jesus. Mark adds that they questioned among themselves "what 
the rising from the dead should mean." 

The disciples now ask him a question, "Why then say the 
scribes that Elias must first come ? ' ' Elias is the Greek word for 
Elijah. No doubt the appearance of Elijah at this time, only to 
vanish away, suggested this question. The Jews believe, and still 
believe, that Elijah will come before the Messiah comes. They 
base this on the prophecy in Malachi 4:5-6. They still pray in 
their weekly synagogue worship for his appearing. ' ' They hold 
that since his translation He revisits the world perpetually. They 
believe him present at circumcisions : and a seat is provided at the 
right hand of the child which he is supposed to occupy. It is 
therefore not so much for his coming that they pray as for his 
manifestation" (Whedon). Jesus replied, "Elias truly shall first 
come and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias is 
come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him 
whatsoever they listed." The disciples then understood that he 
spoke to them of John the Baptist. So when Malachi prophesied 
of the coming of Elijah he meant John the Baptist coming in the 
spirit and power of Elijah to restore the dispensation of the 
prophets, which had waned since the days of Elijah. John did 
restore the majesty of the dispensation of the law during his 
six months' ministry. In other words, John the Baptist was the 
Elijah who came and rejuvenated the dispensation of the prophets 
for six months before the ministry of Jesus, and as a preparation 
for that event. "Certain commentators look for a second coming 
of Elijah personally as a preliminary to the second coming of 
Christ. Do they also expect a restoration of Judaism? But this 
would involve the undoing of what had been done, in the estab- 
lishment of the larger and freer religion of Jesus Christ. Old 
things are passed away, and are not to be restored: all things are 
become new" (Abbott). 



248 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

THE WEAKNESS OF THE DISCIPLES BEFOEE PENTE- 
COST. Vs. 14-23. 

14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to 
him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 

15 Lord, have mercy on my son : for he is lunatick, and sore 
vexed : for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 

16 And I Drought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure 
him. 

17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless! and perverse 
generation, how long shall I he with you? how long shall I. suffer 
you? bring him hither to me. 

18 And Jesus rebuked the devil ; and he departed out of him : and 
the child was cured from that very hour. 

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could 
not we cast him out? 

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief : for 
verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, 
ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place ; and 
it shall remove ; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 

21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. 

22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, 
The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men : 

23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised 
again. And thy were exceeding sorry. 

When they came down from the mount they met a strange 
state of affairs. It reminds us of the coming of Moses down from 
the mountain where he had met God and received the law. He 
found the people worshipping the golden calf. Jesus and the 
disciples found the scribes taunting the nine disciples, who had 
been left behind, because they could not cast out a devil, who had 
afflicted an unfortunate boy. 

Mountain top experiences are real and blessed, but God does not 
intend that we shall be in a state of ecstacy all the time. 
The body could not endure the strain. We are not to be so en- 
grossed in our feelings as to want to stay on the mountain top 
when there is a crowd of suffering humanity who need our help. 
Feeling is not salvation, but is the result of it. Alas, that there 
are so many who think that feeling is all that there is in religion. 
The normal state of the experience of salvation is a deep settled 
peace, while great emotions and ecstacies are occasional. The 
Holy Spirit is the author of a great variety of experiences. Let 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 249 

us get our minds off the degree of feeling we have, or wish to have 
and center our thoughts on the will of God. Let him have his 
way and appoint our feeling and eestacies to suit himself. Our 
great business is to glorify him and help humanity. And while 
the scribes, according to the account by Mark, were tauntingly 
asking questions and sneering at the little band of disciples Jesus 
comes to their rescue and asks the scribes, "What question ye 
with them?" Before they had time to answer a man comes out 
from the crowd and kneeling before Jesus, tells him about his son, 
who had been driven insane by the possession of an evil spirit, 
whom he had brought to the disciples, who were powerless to 
cast out the devil. The afflicted father cries to Jesus in the bit- 
terness of his soul for him to have mercy on him. He takes the 
case of the child on his own heart, as if it were himself. Jesus 
breaks forth with the words of heart weariness, "O faithless and 
perverse generation how long shall I be with you? how long shall 
I suffer you? bring him to me." This outburst of Jesus shows 
what a humiliation it was for the pure and holy One to be asso- 
ciated with unbelief in any form. What a transition it was from 
the glories of the Transfiguration to come down to these unbe- 
lievers, who had so little power over evil. Jesus really suffered 
as he saw unbelief. We can hardly comprehend how heinous a 
thing unbelief was to him. He was constantly exclaiming against 
it and its manifestations, while, on the other hand, he took special 
pains to commend those who showed faith. He is affected simi- 
larly today. He adds, "Bring him to me." That is a good sug- 
gestion for us when we have tried in vain with human sympathy 
to comfort the distressed or have sought to get men saved in vain. 
Let us be sure that we bring them to Jesus, for he can do what 
we can not. Let us not forget this. Jesus then rebuked the 
devil and the child was cured from that hour. 

When the disciples were alone with Jesus, they asked him why 
they were not able to cast out the demon. Jesus said to them, 
because of your unbelief. It must be remembered that Jesus had 
given them power to cast out devils when he sent them out to 
preach (See Ch. 10). Great powers, then, are nothing without 
faith. They may lay dormant because of lack of faith. Their 
faith was like that of sinking Peter on the lake. It was mixed 



250 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

with the tendencies to doubt that weakened it. Before Pentecost 
their success was intermittent, because they had inbred sin which 
prompted to unbelief. After Pentecost we hear of no more fail- 
ures of their faith. He adds, "If ye have faith as a grain of 
mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Eemove hence to 
yonder place : and it shall remove. ' ' The grain of mustard is not 
merely the smallest of seeds, but it is very pungent and vigorous 
in its growth. Jesus said in the parable of chapter 13 that it 
becomes a great tree and the kingdom of heaven was like it. This 
does not mean only a faith as small as a mustard seed, but as 
vigorous and thrifty also. It means that our faith must be of a 
good quality — pure, unmixed — as well as small. Magnitude does 
not make so much difference as the quality. They had some faith. 
It was much mixed with the tendency of doubt. Of course we 
are not to understand that he means that if some one has a super- 
stitious, fanatical faith they can go out and bid mountains move 
just to show their power. The gospel never stoops to perform un- 
necessary miracles. No man need expect to go out with faith and 
move the Eocky Mountains from their base unless there is some 
good reason for it, and some reason for it in order to help the 
gospel. But if God calls us to certain duty and the Eocky Moun- 
tains stood in the way faith could move them. Whatever is in 
our way, when performing the work God has called us to, can be 
removed by divine power in answer to the prayer of faith. ' ' How- 
beit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. ' ' This 
passage is not found in many of the older manuscripts. It is 
evident from this utterance that there are different grades of evil 
spirits. Some are more difficult of expulsion than others. How 
do prayer and fasting help faith. This is a question worthy of 
attention. Prayer is a means of great development of faith. As 
to fasting, we are not certain about its genuineness in this passage, 
as it is not found in many of the older manuscripts either in 
Matthew or Mark 9:29. We believe our position on fasting is 
scriptural, as seen in our comments on Matt. 9:15. Fasting is an 
accompaniment of travail of soul that goes with intercessory 
prayer. It is without doubt a help to faith when it is a genuine 
fast. No man can exercise great faith either of quantity or qual- 
ity who does not pray much. Those who are called and have spe- 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 251 

cial evangelistic gifts need to pray much or their gifts will prove 
abortive. 

Jesus now took up his abode in secret in Galilee, as we learn 
from Mark 9:30-32 and Luke 9:43-45. While here he tells the 
disciples again concerning his death and resurrection. From Luke 
9:45 we learn that they did not fully comprehend what he meant 
by his death, and we also learn that it was purposely hidden from 
them in a measure. 

HOLY PEOPLE WILL SUBMIT TO INJUSTICE RATHER 
THAN, BY RESISTING, MANIFEST THE APPEAR- 
ANCE OF EVIL. Vs. 24-27. 

24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received 
tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay 
tribute? 

25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus 
prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the 
kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or 
of strangers? 

26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, 
Then are the children free. 

27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the 
sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up ; 
and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of 
money : that take, and give unto them for me and thee. 

When they came to Capernaum, they that received the tax for 
the support of the temple came and asked Peter, ''Doth not your 
master pay tribute?" This does not mean the revenue which the 
Jews were compelled to pay the Romans. It refers to the half 
shekel (about thirty cents of our money) which all Israelites were 
compelled to pay for the support of the temple and its worship. 
(See Exodus 30:13). The Revised Version has it, "Doth not 
your master pay the half shekel?" Peter had confessed that 
Jesus was the Christ. Jesus himself had also asserted it before 
all the people. If he paid the tax it would be apparently ac- 
knowledging that he was not the Son of God in thus paying for 
his own worship. If he did not pay it he would be setting the 
example of neglecting the house of God and being guilty of im- 
piety. Peter answered in the affirmative in his usual prompt way. 



252 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

"When he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, 
what thinkest thou Simon 1 ? of whom do the kings of the earth 
take tribute? of their own children or of strangers?" The word 
' ' prevent ' ' here is the old English for ' ' Anticipate. ' ' The Re- 
vised Version renders it ' ' Spake first. ' ' He means that the chil- 
dren of a king do not pay taxes to support their father. The 
common people do that. If that is true, "then are the children 
free. " Why should the Son of God pay taxes for the support of 
his own house? But he adds, "Lest we should cause them to 
offend (stumble) go to the sea and cast in a hook and take the 
first fish that cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, 
thou shalt find a piece of money. That take and give them for 
me and thee." This would be a shekel. He did not wish them 
to think that he was opposed to the temple and its ordinances. 
He did not stand up for his rights. The people who are always 
standing up for their rights display a self-importance and selfish- 
ness which is hardly in keeping with the professed followers of 
the meek and lowly Jesus. Perfect love "Seeketh not her own." 
Beware of the man who is always standing up for his rights. If 
Jesus had not relinquished his rights he would never have been 
crucified and there would have been no salvation for us. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 
HOLINESS INTENSELY PRACTICAL. 

Holiness Requires the Deepest Humility. Vs. 1-6. Jesus Will Re- 
quite Those Who Mistreat His Little Ones. Vs. 7-14. Treat- 
ment of Those Who Have Wronged Us. Vs. 15-20. Tender- 
ness and Mercy Towards All Men. Vs. 21-35. 

HOLINESS EEQUIEES THE DEEPEST HUMILITY. Vs. 1-6. 

1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who 
is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the 
midst of them. 

3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye he converted, and 
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of 
heaven. 

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, 
the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name re- 
ceiveth me. 

6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in 
me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his 
neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 

"At the same time (in the same hour, Eev. Ver.) came the 
disciples unto Jesus." This event took place probably immedi- 
ately after the occurrence of the last chapter. The disciples 
came to Jesus asking who should be greatest in the kingdom of 
heaven. Mark (Ch. 9:33-38) says they had been engaged in a 
dispute as to who should be the greatest. Jesus had so em- 
phatically impressed on their minds that he was the Messiah, and 
was to set up his kingdom, that they were full of the thought 
and were beginning to discuss the question among themselves, and 
like unsanctified human nature of today, they were seeking the 
offices in the new government for themselves. This is a most com- 

253 



254 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

mon form of the manifestation of inbred sin. It is known as 
clerical polities. Would that it had died out of the church at that 
time. This alone, if there were no other recognized reason, would 
show the need of entire sanctification. These disciples, as is clearly 
shown here, were not wholly sanctified when their sins were for- 
given. 

Matthew Henry says, "Peter was always the chief speaker, 
and already had the keys given him: he expects to be lord chan- 
cellor, or lord chamberlain of the household, and so be the great- 
est. Judas had the bag, and therefore he expects to be lord 
treasurer, which, though now he comes last, he hopes will then 
denominate him greatest. Simon and Jude are nearly related to 
Christ and they hope to take the place of all the great officers 
of state, as princes of the blood. John is the beloved disciple, 
the favorite of the Prince, and therefore he hopes to be the great- 
est. Andrew was first called, and why should he not be first pre- 
ferred. ' ' 

"Jesus called a little child to him and set him in the midst of 
them." The Greek word implies that it was a very small child. 
Here is another of the startling truths that Jesus so often uttered, 
making a child a model for grown pe'ople was something of which 
the world at large had never dreamed. No wonder the carnal 
minded did not enjoy or take to his teachings. A child is a most 
excellent model for us in our relation to our Heavenly Father, 
for we bear the same relation to him that our children do to us. 
A child is teachable and confiding. In these things we must be 
like little children. Jesus used object lessons to enforce his prin- 
ciples; an excellent hint to preachers and teachers. 

"Verily I say unto you." The word "verily" in the Greek 
is Amen — a word used to express great emphasis. When Jesus 
used that word some very important statement always followed. 
"Except ye be converted and become as little children." The 
word converted means literally to turn back. We have come to 
use it in a technical sense, as denoting that turning back from 
sin which takes place when we are regenerated and justified. But 
the original meaning of the word is not our technical word "con- 
version." It simply means to turn. These disciples were on 
the verge of backsliding through following the promptings of the 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 255 

carnal mind which led them to seek supremacy because of their 
self-esteem and self-seeking. Jesus here wishes not to have them 
"converted" in the sense in which we usually use it but to turn 
back from this course of self-seeking which would lead them 
away from God. "But here perhaps it more specially means the 
being brought to renounce the disposition to seek preeminence or 
power over our fellows, especially in the church. This was the 
besetting sin of the disciples, of which it was their momentous 
duty to repent, and by the aid of divine grace to be turned or 
converted." (Whedon.) Inbred sin is the root of all this desire 
to excel others. It takes the fires of Pentecost to burn out this 
evil. It is not only necessary to turn away from all sin to get 
"converted," but we must also stay turned in order to stay 
"converted" in the sense in which we are "converted" when 
we first repent and know our sins are forgiven. The tense 
in the Greek renders it literally, "Except ye shall be contin- 
ually turned back from this spirit of self seeking, and con- 
tinually take on you the spirit of a little child." Thank God 
the baptism with the Holy Ghost can make us as free from the 
lusts of power and worldly ambition as an infant! Who doubts 
it after what Jesus says here? If this is what the Gospel pro- 
poses to do, how few seem to have this degree of salvation. 

It is worthy of note here that the disciples did not under- 
stand that Peter had any more authority or preeminence than the 
other disciples. Roman Catholicism teaches that Peter alone had 
the keys given to him, as recorded in chapter 16. But it seems 
from this dispute that the other disciples did not so understand 
it. If it had been in that sense that he was to take the place 
of Christ and be the first pope certainly we should find this idea 
recognized among the disciples, who heard the conversation 
recorded in chapter 16. We can not believe it therefore. 

We sometimes wish we were back to childhood so that we 
might again live a life free from care and worry. Perhaps if we 
had no more carnal ambition and evil desires than we had then, 
we might be as free. Are not many of our burdens imposed by 
our carnal ambitions and evil desires? Here they were disputing 
as to who should be greatest in the kingdom when they were all 
in danger of being dropped out of the kingdom because they 



256 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

sought to be great in it. The essence of our holy religion is not, 
as some think, in climbing great heights but in getting down low 
in the valley of humility. A humble man is not necessarily one 
who has no good opinion of himself or a proper estimation of his 
powers but who is willing to take a lowly position without mur- 
muring, trusting God to call him higher if he wishes him to go 
higher, and realizing that his place in life is where God, in his 
providence, puts him. He is willing to be where God directs 
and is not seeking anything but the will of God. " Whoso shall 
receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me. ' ' The 
believer who has been entirely freed from the sinful nature so that 
he is not seeking the ambitions of this world is the little chill 
here referred to. They who receive really humble followers of 
Christ for Jesus ' sake receive him. ' ' But whoso shall offend one 
of these little ones which believe in me." This cannot refer to 
infants whom Jesus used as the symbol of true humility, for in- 
fants can not believe in him. It means the truly humble Christian 
whom the infant before them symbolized. To offend is to cause 
to stumble or backslide. The Eevised Version translates it 
"stumble." There are some people who have such a devilish spirit 
that they seem to enjoy nothing so much as to persecute and try 
the patience and faith of God's humble people. If any one 
doubts the existence of the carnal mind let him notice how devilish 
some people are in their opposition to God's little ones — his saints. 
Notice, it is more than believing Jesus. It is believing in him. 
"Drowned in the depths of the sea." One of the modes of capi- 
tal punishment among the ancients was to tie a mill stone about 
the criminal's neck and cast him into the sea. If a man was so 
punished he would reach heaven if he were right with God but 
to cause one of God's little ones to stumble means eternal death. 

JESUS WILL REQUITE THOSE WHO MISTEEAT HIS 
LITTLE ONES. Vs. 7-14. 

7 Woe unto the world because of offences ! for it must needs be 
that offences come ; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh ! 

8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, 
and cast them from thee : it is better for thee to enter into life 
halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be 
cast into everlasting fire. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 257 

9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from 
thee : it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than 
having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. 

10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones ; for 
I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the 
face of my Father which is in heaven. 

11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 

12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of 
them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth 
into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 

13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth 
more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 

14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, 
that one of these little ones should perish. 

As we have seen his ' f little ones" are those who, with child- 
like simplicity, are free from self seeking or schemes to push them- 
selves ahead of other people. They are like lambs among wolves 
(See chapter 10). Inbred sin is not only the opposite of holiness 
but it is bitterly opposed to holiness. If it displayed its venom 
against the Master, much more will it against those of his house- 
hold. Those who have the guileless child-like spirit, spoken of by 
Jesus, must meet the same treatment that he met. The cruel things 
that have been said and done against those who have professed to 
have been cleansed from all sin, by Jesus ' blood, are all registered 
on high. God is looking after them. There will be a day of settle- 
ment. Jesus says, "Woe unto the world because of offences." 
The word " offences" here literally means traps. The Revised 
Version translates it ''Occasions of stumbling." "It must needs 
be that offences (occasions of stumbling) come." Why is it neces- 
sary? We reply, from the nature of the carnal mind, it could not 
be the carnal mind without hatred to holiness any more than fire 
would be fire without heat. A woe is pronounced against those 
who in any way by their persecution or opposition cause others to 
lose their faith and hold on God. We must all beware lest we 
be the occasion in any way of tempting people from their allegiance 
to Christ. We must cut off a right hand if necessary or a right 
foot, that is, even things lawful in themselves we must lay aside 
if they are in any way a temptation to others to sin. 

There is a danger that we despise others, who are in humble 
circumstances or have less talents. This is what Christ for- 



258 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

bade in Matt. 5:22 (See note). Glorying over others and wishing 
to rise above them and get the first place is here condemned. 
What right have we to affect that we are better than others and 
ought to have the first place? What right have we to despise the 
humblest Christian whom God esteems so highly that in heaven 
their guardian angels are admitted right into the presence of 
God? This teaches the fact of every Christian having a guardian 
angel and shows how highly God thinks of the humblest. He 
thinks enough of them to give them a guardian angel. Roman 
Catholic authorities have deduced from this, the doctrine of wor- 
shiping the angels. But because we have guardian angels it does 
not follow that we must worship them. The angels are to serve 
the saints, not be worshipped by them. He then gives the reason 
that God has appointed guardian angels over the saints because 
"the Son of Man is come to save that which is lost." God is 
taking a good deal of pains (so to speak) to bring home every 
saint, even the humblest, so we must be careful how we treat 
them. 

Notice the fact, that is stated here, that men by nature are 
lost and none of us is sure of heaven until we get there. It is 
possible for these little ones, whose hearts are pure in the sight 
of God, to make ship wreck of faith and it may come through 
the temptations we put in their way by unkind treatment. Mr. 
Wesley says in his Plain Account of Christian Perfection to those 
who oppose professors of Perfect Love, "Either they (professors 
of holiness) are mistaken or they are not mistaken. If they 
are, to treat them harshly may destroy their souls. ... If 
they are not mistaken, it may grieve those whom God has not 
grieved and do much hurt to our own souls. For undoubtedly he 
that touches them ? toucheth, as it were, the apple of God's eye." 
We have known instances where sincere professors of holiness 
have been discouraged and at the same time those who discouraged 
them have wrecked their own spiritual life and that of the church 
in the community. 

He then quotes the parable of the ninety and nine, which is 
given in full in Luke 15, to show that the shepherd's care and 
solicitude for the one weak and straying lamb, is an illustration of 
the way God feels toward the weak and lowly of his flock. We 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 259 

have here the doctrine clearly laid down in verse 14 that it is 
possible to be one of God's people and yet backslide, fall away 
and be lost. There is no such doctrine in Scripture as once in grace 
always in grace. "It is not the will of your Father which is in 
heaven that one of these little ones should perish." This verse 
refutes the Calvinistic doctrine of God choosing some people for 
destruction to show his glory. 

TREATMENT OF THOSE WHO HAVE WRONGED US. 

Vs. 15-20. 

15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and 
tell him his fault between thee and him alone : if he shall hear thee, 
thou hast gained thy brother. 

16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two 
more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may 
be established. 

17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: 
but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen 
man and publican. 

18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth 
shall be bound in heaven : and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth 
shall be loosed in heaven. 

19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth 
as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them 
of my Father which is in heaven. 

20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, 
there am I in the midst of them. 

1 1 If thy brother shall trespass against thee. ' ' He had just 
been speaking to rebuke the contention that the disciples had 
had against each other. He now goes into the subject still further 
of our treatment of each other. As we are in a world where there 
are many different opinions, and as there are differences even 
among Christians, he lays down a rule that is still applicable and 
which all of us can find occasion to use more or less in our ex- 
perience. It is in regard to the brother who trespasses against 
us. To trespass means to trample on the rights of others. It 
will be noticed here that he gives this rule for his church before 
the New Testament church was organized. It will be noticed too 
that the object of this rule of Christ is not to seek to harm a 
brother or discipline him but to save him, for he says in verse 



260 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

15, "If he will hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother." Many 
times the object of some seems, by their actions to be, to lose their 
brother instead of saving him. The church is not for the purpose 
of harshly cutting off the erring but of saving them, if kindness 
will do it. We are to try every reasonable method to save our 
brother. We are first to go to him, if he has trespassed on our 
rights, and tell him in private what he has done. It takes a high 
state of grace to do this, in the right manner. Many instead of go- 
ing to him in such a case walk over the other side of the street 
and say, "I will keep my distance from him." How often a 
kind talk has cleared matters up. If we talk with him in private 
we will have a chance to win him, for often times before a 
third party, such a person will, through motives of pride, act 
obstinately. This is one of the ways we can take to save a 
brother. If he is obstinate and refuses to hear us then we are 
to take one or two others in whom he has confidence, and if he 
still refuses to hear, then we are to take the matter before the 
church. It will then be seen that the blame is not with us. And 
if he refuses to hear the church then we are justified in regarding 
him no more, as a brother. John Wesley says, "If this be the 
way to take, in what land do the Christians live?" 

"Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth 
shall be bound in heaven." So when Peter was given the keys 
(Ch. 16:19), he was not appointed especial door keeper of heaven 
and hell, as Roman Catholics teach, for the other disciples here 
had the same authority. Whatever the disciples of Christ under 
the influence of his Spirit do, the same is ratified in heaven. If 
we pray men under conviction through the power of the Spirit 
and they refuse to yield, and continue to resist God's Spirit, 
their doom is sealed and they have sinned away the day of grace. 

There is some difference of opinion as to what constitutes the 
true church, but we have the definition of the church given here by 
Jesus. He has been talking about telling the church if the brother 
refused to hear two or three witnesses. So he told them how 
God ratified the action of the church with an erring brother. He 
now tells us who these people are that pray, and bind or loose. 
"If two of you shall agree as touching anything that they shall 
ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. ' ' 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 261 

The true church is wherever even this small number have prayed 
in such a manner as to have their prayers answered. There is 
Jesus. This does not mean that the church is an institution of those 
who can trace their ancestry from the apostles. It is where men are 
banded together in such a manner that God answers their prayers. 
Answer of united prayer shows where the true church is. This 
contains an encouragement for even small meetings that are held 
in the name of Jesus. Some have the idea that a cause is not 
of God unless it has great congregations and a great following. 
But the smallest who touch God in their praying are the true 
church. Here then is an especial encouragement to social prayer. 
"The minister is an officer necessary to instruct, but he is not 
the church. The clergy are not the church, they are officers of the 
church; and if the ministers were left without the people, they 
would make a very sorry church indeed. The officers of the army 
are not the army; it is the mass of the soldiers that make the 
army; the officers are the leaders. It is the laity that constitute 
the church; the ministers or clergy are but leaders and instructors 
of it. If you let go that precious thought that you are the 
church, and delegate that presence, power, and prerogative to any 
synod or convocation on earth, you commit ecclesiastical suicide, 
you denude yourselves of your great and precious privilege. How 
simple is this description — * Where two or three. ' It does not 
say it must be in a place consecrated by presbyter, prelate, or 
pope. It may be on the tassellated pavement and under the 
fretted roof of the grand cathedral, or it may be on the streets 
of Jerusalem, and holier churches met on the last than ever met in 
the mediaeval cathedrals in the history of European Christendom ' ' 
(Cumming). By meeting in his name is meant that they meet to 
transact business in the name of Christ and for his glory. A 
bankrupt may some times be allowed to transact business in the 
name of some man of wealth whose financial standing is well 
established and who authorizes him to do business in his name. 
Men will do business with him as long as he does the business 
in the name of his patron. That name is honored in the money 
market. Wordsworth says of the church, "Not collecting them- 
selves promiscuously in their own name, or according to their 
own devices, or for their own glory, much less in a spirit of 



262 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

strife and division: but of yearning of love for me and of union 
with me; in the manner appointed by me, in the unity of my 
church, and in obedience to my law, and for the furtherance of 
my glory." 

TENDERNESS AND MERCY TOWARDS ALL MEN. Vs. 21-35. 

21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my 
brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 

22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times : 
but, Until seventy times seven. 

23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain 
king, which would take account of his servants. 

24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto 
him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 

25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him 
to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and 
payment to be made. 

26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, 
Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 

27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and 
loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 

28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow- 
servants, which owed him an hundred pence : and he laid hands on 
him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 

29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought 
him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 

30 And he would not : but went and cast him into prison ; till he 
should pay the debt. 

31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were 
very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 

32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O 
thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou de- 
siredst me : 

33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow- 
servant, even as I had pity on thee? 

34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormenters 
till he should pay all that was due unto him. 

35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye 
from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. 

Peter now comes forward as the spokesman of the disciples 
and asks, "Lord how oft shall my brother sin against .me and 
I forgive him? till seven times?" The Rabbis taught that for- 
giveness was limited to three times. Peter seems to get the idea 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 263 

from the previous principles laid down by Jesus in these verses that 
forgiveness might not go beyond three times. Jesus replies, "Un- 
til seventy times seven." Of course this unlimited number is con- 
ditioned on the sincere penitence of the offender. Jesus then 
gave a parable to illustrate how we should treat those who offend 
against our rights. The gist of the parable is that we are greater 
sinners against God than any of our brethren can possibly be 
against us and therefore we ought to be as willing to forgive them 
as we are anxious that God should forgive us. "King which 
would take account of his servants. ' ' God is the king who will 
take account with his servants, that is, his church, and will show 
mercy to us in the same manner that we show it to others. 
"Owed his Lord ten thousand talents." Some ten or fifteen 
millions of dollars. ' ' Forasmuch as he had nothing to pay. ' ' 
This illustrates the condition of every man. His indebtedness to 
God in comparison with his ability to pay is like a man, who had 
nothing, and owed fifteen millions of dollars. We can never pay 
the debt against us in the court of heaven. ' ' His Lord commanded 
him to be sold." Anciently a man could be sold or imprisoned 
for debt. This was allowable also among the Jews, as well as the 
heathen. A Jew could be sold only for six years servitude. l ' One 
of his fellow servants which owed him an hundred pence." A 
hundred pence was about fifteen dollars. This man who had been 
forgiven a debt of about fifteen millions of dollars would not for- 
give a debt of fifteen dollars. This is like the man who has 
sinned against Almighty God and been freely forgiven, who will 
not forgive his brother. God forgives us for more serious offences 
than man can be guilty of towards us. We ought to be very 
lenient towards those debtors who are deserving but unfortunate 
and who would pay us if they could. God will show the same 
mercy or lack of mercy to us that we show to others. "Have 
patience with me, and I will pay thee all. " It is a serious matter 
when we have no pity on those who are unfortunate but who 
would pay us if they could. "The one besought for ten thousand 
talents, the other for one hundred pence; the one his fellow 
servant, the other his lord; the one received entire forgiveness, 
the other asked for delay, and not so much as this did he give 
him" (Chrysostom). Jesus says, "When his fellow servants 



264 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

saw what was done they were very sorry." We should be sorry 
when we see an uncharitable man: sorry for him and sorry for 
his victim. "Came and told unto their lord all that was done." 
"We ought to go and talk to our Lord about the uncharitable peo- 
ple who are so hard upon their brethren. Better tell it to the 
Lord than blaze it abroad to the dishonoring of the cause of 
God. It is an awful thing after a man has once received mercy of 
God to fail to bestow it on others. We forfeit the mercy already 
shown to us when we fail to show it to others, and thus lose all 
our standing with God. 

"The king, it must be observed, imprisons him for the debt 
for which he was first forgiven. The old forgiven sin of the 
apostate sinner springs up and condemns him. A man is finally 
punished for all the sins of his life. It helps him not one jot 
that at one time he was pardoned but aggravates his case" 
(Whedon). "Till he should pay all that was due unto him." That 
would be never. How could a man who owed fifteen million of 
dollars ever pay it when he was in jail and had nothing and 
no way of earning it? Thus Jesus teaches the hopelessness of 
the man who is cast into hell. His punishment is eternal. Jesus 
says God will do likewise to us if we do not forgive our brethren 
from our heart — not merely with our lips. Every time we pray the 
Lord's prayer we really ask him to forgive us or to damn us, 
according to the way we feel towards those who have wronged 
us. It is strong medicine but the Gospel deals with stern realities. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

HOLINESS IN RELATION TO MARRIAGE, INFANCY 
AND WEALTH. 

Holiness Gives No Uncertain Sound on the Divorce Question. Vs. 
1-12. Proper Spiritual Training of Children. Vs. 13-15. The 
Justified Are Not Satisfied Until They Are Entirely Sanctified. 
Vs. 16-22. Hard to Maintain a Holy Life and Have Riches. 
Vs. 23-30. 

HOLINESS GIVES NO UNCEKTAIN SOUND ON THE DI- 
VOECE QUESTION. Vs. 1-12. 

1 And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished these sayings, 
he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond 
Jordan ; 

2 And great multitudes followed him ; and he healed them there. 

3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying 
unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every 
cause ? 

4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that 
he which made them at the beginning made them male and female. 

5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, 
and shall cleave to his wife : and they twain shall be one flesh ? 

6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What there- 
fore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 

7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a 
writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 

8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your 
hearts suffered you to put away your wives : but from the beginning 
it was not so. 

9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except 
it he for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery : 
and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. 

10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with 
his wife, it is not good to marry. 

11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, 
save they to whom it is given. 



266 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so horn from their 
mother's womb ; and there are some eunuchs, which were made 
eunuchs of men : and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves 
eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to re- 
ceive it, let him receive it. 

One of the many wonderful things in the character of Jesus 
was his wisdom. No wonder they asked "Whence hath this man 
this wisdom?" In vain his enemies tried to catch him in his 
talk in order to bring some accusation against him. We have an 
instance of this in the chapter before us. Jesus had departed 
from Galilee where most of his ministry took place and had 
come into Perea, the country east of Jordan. Here he came again 
into the territory of that Herod (Antipas) who had killed John 
because John had rebuked him for his adultery in taking his 
brother's wife (See Ch. 14:1-12). Now his enemies, the Phari- 
sees, came again seeking to ensnare him in his talk or as Matthew 
puts it here, "tempting him." They bring up the divorce ques- 
tion. The situation was this : If Jesus exclaimed against illegal di- 
vorce, then he would incur the same hatred and fate from Herod 
that John the Baptist received. If he, through fear, approved of 
divorce for every and any reason they would brand him for it. 
The question of divorce among the Jews was an open one. There 
were two opinions among the Eabbis. One party contended 
that there might be divorce for any cause or for no cause. An- 
other held that a man could not put away his wife except for 
lewdness. The Pharisees anticipated that whichever way he an- 
swered he would incur the enmity of one class or the other. So 
they asked him, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for 
every cause?" He replied to this question, by asking them a 
question. He goes back to Scripture. It is refreshing and in- 
structive to see how the author of the Scripture himself used 
it against his enemies. This ought to be a lesson to us in the 
use of Scripture. Truly the word of God is called "the sword 
of the Spirit." Notice that Jesus in this conversation endorses 
the Old Testament and especially the writings of Moses. Some 
have undertaken to maintain that the story of Adam and Eve 
is an allegory. But Jesus here says it is real history: So he 
asks, "Have ye not read, that he which made them at the begin- 
ning made them male and female, and said, for this cause shall 



ACCOBDING TO ST. MATTHEW 267 

a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: 
and they twain shall be one flesh?" This was a quotation from 
Genesis 1:27 and 5:2. He put the responsibility on his opponents. 
Either they must repudiate the Scripture which they dared not do, 
or be silent and thus acknowledge defeat. This Scripture teaches 
that God made man in two sections, male and female; made them 
one flesh, like the two hemispheres of a globe. It takes the two 
sexes to make the complete manhood. This shows that he in- 
tended man should marry and have one wife, making one for one 
only. And he adds, " Wherefore they are no more twain, but one 
flesh. ' ' As they are one flesh, not one soul, they are to live to- 
gether until the death of the flesh. That is, there are only two 
causes that can break that contract which is made in marriage. 
Those two causes are death and fornication. So Jesus did not 
take sides with the Jews in their disputes on the question. He 
simply gave the Scripture basis of marriage. If Herod wished 
to Kill him for that reason he would be fighting the Scriptures, 
which he dare not do in the face of the people. 

"Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorce- 
ment, and to put her away?" they ask. They think with this 
question that they have asked something that is unanswerable. 
But he tells them it is because of the hardness of their hearts. 
"Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you 
to put away your wives : but from the beginning it was not so. ' ' 
Moses did not command it or enjoin it but simply suffered or 
permitted it, when he made the civil laws for the Hebrews. Their 
hearts were so hard that he knew that if he did not suffer it, 
they would do something worse — even kill their wives to get rid 
of them. The man who violated God's eternal law against di- 
vorce must settle with Him, no matter what the civil courts may 
decree. It is so today. There is only one ground for divorce. 
And divorced parties are not at liberty to marry again, who have 
broken their marriage vows. But the innocent party is not re- 
quired to suffer because his or her partner was guilty of a breach 
of contract. 

The marriage relation cannot be too sacredly guarded for the 
sake of children and also for the sake of the state. Those na- 
tions who have been loose on the divorce question have decayed 



268 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

and when divorce is prevalent other crimes have correspondingly 
increased. This deliverance seemed to have staggered the apostles 
and they reply in the language of some of their religious leaders 
and teachers of that day, "If the case of the man be so with 
his wife, it is not good to marry." The disciples had heard this 
advocated by the School of Hillel, one of the Jewish Eabbis. If 
a man is so tightly bound as that, think the disciples, he had 
better remain single. Marriage is a divine institution and it is ac- 
cording to the constitution of man, therefore it is better to marry 
than not to marry. God never ordained an institution that was 
no good. Usually it is best to marry. Jesus here mentions some 
exceptions. (1) Those who are from birth physically incapaci- 
tated. (2) Those who have been mutilated by men. (3) Those 
who remain single because of providential calls to work that would 
be hindered by marriage. Bishop Asbury never could have ac- 
complished his arduous work in planting Methodism had he mar- 
ried. James Caughey, who shook two continents as an evangelist, 
had a direct revelation that he must not marry, at least in his 
early days. 

Peter was a married man, and we have no command for the 
priests to lead a life of celibacy as Eoman Catholicism teaches. 
The priests, under the Old Dispensation, were allowed to marry. 

PROPER SPIRITUAL TRAINING OF CHILDREN. Vs. 13-15. 

13 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he 
should put his hands on them, and pray : and the disciples rebuked 
them. 

14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to 
come unto me : for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 

15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence. 

Abbott notes that it is a suggestive, if not a significant fact, 
that this blessing of little children follows immediately after the 
above discussion concerning marriage. It was customary in 
taose days to bring children to the synagogue to have them blessed 
by the presidents of the synagogues. So when there were little 
children brought to him at this time, it was not out of the order 
of things. But the disciples thought that he ought not to be 
interrupted in his discussion of such weighty matters by little 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 269 

children. We ought to bring our children to God for his bless- 
ing before they come to years of accountability. There is noth- 
ing better that we can do for our children. These children 
were evidently infants. Bring your infant children to Jesus in 
prayer and solemu dedication. Jesus rebuked the disciples for 
chiding the parents, who brought the children. He said, "Suffer 
little children and forbid them not to come unto me." There 
is a sharpness in his rebuke in the Greek which is not brought 
out in our English Version. He did not say "these children" 
merely but all children are to be brought to him. "For such is 
the kingdom of heaven." All children who have not yet come 
to the years of accountability are members of his kingdom. The 
atonement covers them. Children are innocent, as they have 
done no wrong, not having come to years of accountability. But 
they are not pure. There are tendencies in them towards evil, but 
they have not willfully broken the law of righteousness. We ought 
to do all we can to bring the children to Jesus. This incident 
shows that Jesus loved children. (He took them in his arms.) 
The man who does not, is sadly wanting in the elements of Chris- 
tian manhood. 

If we enter the kingdom of heaven we must have the simplicity 
and faith of children. "If little children are the subjects of his 
spiritual kingdom on earth, then, until the moment that they by 
actual sin bring condemnation upon themselves, they remain heira 
of the kingdom of eternal glory; and if they become the subjects 
of the latter by dying, then a previous vital relation must have 
existed on earth between them and Christ as their Eedeemer 
and Sanctifier, or else we must assign the sanctification of the 
nature of man, which even in infants is fallen and corrupt, 
to a future state, which is contrary to the Scriptures. ' ' (Eichard 
Watson.) 

THE JUSTIFIED AEE NOT SATISFIED UNTIL THEY ARE 
ENTIEELY SANCTIFIED. Vs. 16-22. 

16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what 
good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 

17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there ie 
none good but one, that \8 } God: but if thou wilt enter into life, 
keep the commandments. 



2V0 COMMENTABY ON THE GOSPEL 

18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no 
murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou 
shalt not bear false witness. 

19 Honour thy father and thy mother : and, Thou shalt love thy 
neighbour as thyself. 

20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept 
from my youth up : what lack I yet? 

21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that 
thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in 
heaven : and come and follow me. 

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away 
sorrowful : for he had great possessions. 

We now have the case of a remarkable young man. He 
would have been remarkable in this age even ; for the young 
men as a rule are not like him. (1) He was a young man who 
kept all the commandments. He asked Jesus which of the com- 
mandments he should keep and Jesus mentions the last six in 
the decalogue. Jesus gave him "a few specimens to intimate 
that it is just no more than the old decalogue, to which he re- 
ferred" (Whedon). This young man and all humanity must under- 
stand by this, that Jesus did not do away with the law of the 
Old Dispensation. (2) He was an earnest young man. Mark says 
(Ch. 10:17) that he came running. (3) He was devout. Mark 
says also he came and knelt. (4) He was courageous. Mark says 
all this was in the highway, in the sight of all the people. How 
few dare even in this day make an open confession of their de- 
sire for salvation. (5) He was orthodox in his belief. He be- 
lieved in heaven and also in hell. For he came and asked what 
he must do to obtain eternal life. He believed in hell for peo- 
ple are not very much in earnest in seeking heaven who do 
not believe in hell. (6) He was a church member. He be- 
longed to the Jewish church — the only church God had on earth. 
(7) He was an officer in the church. Luke says he was a ruler 
(Luke 18:18). In every town the Jews had their synagogue or 
meeting house for Sabbath worship. This was presided over by 
twelve elders, the president of whom was called the ruler. He 
was considered the best man of the college of the elders. (8) We 
believe that this church officer enjoyed the experience of conscious 
salvation and was living up to what light he had. Who can 
deny it? People under the Old Dispensation did enjoy salvation 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 271 

as an experience. We hear David praying, ' ' Restore unto me the 
joy of thy salvation" and "take not thy Holy Spirit from me." 
There was a salvation then, in Old Testament times, that men had 
that gave them joy. He spoke the truth when he said, "All 
these have I kept from my youth up, ' ' for it says, l ' Jesus, looking 
upon him loved him. ' ' Some have seen in this young man only 
a moral man and have so preached and taught. But he was a 
religious man, after the best type there was of his day, seeking 
a better experience. He had been justified but felt within him 
a longing for a better experience, as every justified person does. 
Jesus did not say to him as to Nicodemus, "Ye must be born 
again, ' ' for that was not what he needed. He said, ' ' If thon 
wilt be perfect." Jesus used that big word which frightens so 
many today, but is a Bible term and was made for use. Jesus 
used this unpopular word ' ' perfect. " It is a scriptural term and 
the preachers ought to preach upon it. Notice still further "if 
thou wilt be perfect sell all thou hast and give to the poor and 
thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come and follow me. ' ' He 
had been following all the light he had and now Jesus gives him 
more. He will surely give those more light who are following all 
the light they have. 

He got light on several points. (1) That he must be perfect in 
order to enter heaven. He asked, "What good thing shall I do 
that I may have eternal life?" Jesus told him if he would do 
one thing he should be perfect and have treasure in heaven. This 
means that we must be perfect if we would gain heaven. We 
must have Christian perfection, not absolute perfection, if we 
would gain heaven. By Christian perfection is meant loving 
God with all the heart. But is not the statement of Jesus in verse 
17 against this notion of being perfect? Did he not say to the 
young man, "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but 
one, that is God?" Not at all. The Revised Version translates 
it correctly and thus, "Why askest thou me concerning that which 
is good? One there is who is good." Jesus threw this out as a 
test to see if the young man would grasp the truth and say, ' ' Yes, 
but thou art good. Thou art the Messiah." But he did not see 
the character of Jesus in its fullness. 

(2) He got new light on the subject of consecration. He was 



272 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

shown that it must be entire. He must sell all that he had and 
give to the poor. He must give up all. This is what Jesus de- 
mands still — an entire consecration, of everything that we have 
and are. Was the test too severe? Not if eternal life was worth 
it and who will deny it? But does God require us to give up all 
our money and possessions to him? Yes. He may want us to 
give it all to the poor as he did this young man or he may let us, 
as his stewards, administer it for him as he did Job and Abra- 
ham. The call to this young man was to preach the Gospel 
of the despised Nazarene. Money is a great hindrance to preachers. 

(3) He received new light on the lack in his experience. The 
regenerate man, who has not yet gone on to perfection and be- 
come wholly sanctified, has a lack which hinders his being perfect. 
Jesus said to him according to Mark (Ch. 10:21), "One thing thou 
lackest. " If a person lacks only one thing and that is supplied 
he is perfect. What was the one thing he lacked? What was the 
hindrance to his love being perfect? He had in him, still, inbred 
sin or depravity. His special besetment was covetousness. This 
is not the sin that so easily besets every one. But all by nature 
have it in some form or other. This is what the apostle means when 
he says to the Hebrews (Ch. 12:1), "the sin which doth so easily 
beset you. ' ' In Cain it was a hasty temper ; in David it was lust ; 
in Peter it was cowardice; in Thomas it was a tendency to doubt. 
In this young man it was covetousness. Jesus touched his idol, 
He showed him that he must smash his idol. If he had given up 
all to Jesus that day the love of money would have been killed 
in him. 

' l He went away sorrowful : for he had great possessions. ' ' He 
had better never have met Jesus than not to have come up to the 
light that he received that day. It is true today. Every soul 
who is truly converted gets new light sooner or later on the 
necessity of having a full salvation. The Holy Spirit in some 
way will show him his lack. He had better never have had his 
need revealed to him and better never have greater light, if he 
does not propose to walk up to it. There comes a time when we 
have to get sanctified in order to keep our religion. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 273 

HARD TO MAINTAIN A HOLY LIFE AND HAVE RICHES. 

Vs. 23-30. 

23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, 
That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go 
through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the 
kingdom of God. 

25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, 
saying, Who then can be saved? 

26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is 
impossible ; but with God all things are possible. 

27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have 
forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 

28 And Jesus said unto them, "Verily I say unto you, That ye 
which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man 
shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve 
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 

29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sis- 
ters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my 
name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shalt inherit ever- 
lasting life. 

30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be 
first. 

Jesus then went on to show that he was really doing the young 
man a favor, when he asked him to give up his all and to do 
good to the poor. He was asking him, in giving up his money, 
to give up the greatest hindrance he had to getting to heaven. 
He says, "A rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of 
heaven. ' ' Again he said, "It is easier for a camel to go through 
the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the king- 
dom of God. ' ' We have heard people try to explain this by saying 
that there was a gate in the walls of Jerusalem called the 
"Needle's eye," through which a camel could just squeeze. We 
have been unable to find any authority for the assertion that there 
was any such gate. Jesus meant just what he said. It is naturally 
impossible for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven and 
that is the sense in which the disciples understood it, for they 
said, "Who then can be saved?" Then Jesus replied: "With men 
this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Only 
God can get such a man into his kingdom. To see a rich man 
enjoying salvation is as marvellous as to see a camel go through 



274 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

the eye of a needle. It takes a real salvation to do it. The man 
whom God allows to have riches needs a great deal of salvation, 
for everything is against him. But divine grace can kill the love 
of money and all other sin out of the heart. Peter now asks, ' ' Be- 
hold we have forsaken all and followed thee what shall we have 
therefore?" He had heard Christ promise the young man treasure 
in heaven, so Peter would like to know what he and the rest of 
the disciples should receive who had already forsaken all. Jesus 
replies, "Ye which have followed me, in the regeneration, when 
the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall 
sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." It 
is difficult to interpret unfulfilled prophecy. But it seems to us 
the natural understanding of this passage is that in the time 
subsequent to the Second Advent of Christ and the Judgment is 
located that which Jesus calls The Regeneration. Peter says we 
are to have a new heaven and earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. 
Paul tells us that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in 
pain until now. Expecting a time of deliverance. It is certain 
that there has nothing yet occurred in history commensurate with 
the idea of the twelve apostles sitting on twelve thrones judging 
the twelve tribes of Israel. He still further says of this that we 
are included if we forsake all. "Every one that hath forsaken 
houses . . . for my sake, shall receive an hundredfold. ' ' Ab- 
bott calls attention to the aorist tense of the verb and says a strict 
translation would have it, ' ' is receiving. ' ' He is getting a recom- 
pense for what he has given up even now. He is receiving sweeter 
friendships, and an enrichment of soul which far transcends any- 
thing that he has ever given up. No one can really enjoy the full 
love of Jesus in the soul and be sorry for anything that he ever 
gave up to possess it. "But many that are first shall be last and 
the last shall be first." This should go with the next chapter 
and is a fitting introduction to that parable which rebukes the 
hireling spirit that seeks God just for what we are trying to get 
out of religion, a parable suggested by the question of Peter. 



CHAPTER XX. 
MANIFESTATIONS OF CARNALITY. 

Carnality Compares its Worthiness with That of Others. Vs. 1-16. 
Carnality is the Root of Clerical Politics. Vs. 17-23. Carnality 
Begets Jealousy. Vs. 24-28. Carnality Hinders the Salvation 
of Men. Vs. 29-34. 

CARNALITY COMPARES ITS WORTHINESS WITH THAT 
OF OTHERS. Vs. 1-16. 

1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an 
householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers 
into his vineyard. 

2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, 
he sent them into his vineyard. 

3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others stand- 
ing idle in the marketplace, 

4 And said unto them ; Go ye also into the vineyard, and what- 
soever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 

5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did 
likewise. 

6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others 
standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day 
idle? 

7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith 
unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard ; and whatsoever is right, 
that shall ye receive. 

8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his 
steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from 
the last unto the first. 

9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh 
hour, they received every man a penny. 

10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have 
received more ; and they likewise received every man a penny. 

11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the 
goodman of the house, 

12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou 

275 



276 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat 
of the day. 

13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no 
wrong : didst not thou agree with me for a penny ? 

14 Take that thine is, and go thy way : I will give unto this last, 
even as unto thee. 

15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is 
thine eye evil, because I am good? 

16 So the last shall be first, and the first last : for many be called, 
but few chosen. 

Paul says to the Romans, ' ' For I say, through the grace given 
unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of him- 
self more highly than he ought to think." And again to the 
Corinthians, "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or 
compare ourselves with some that commend themselves." It is 
a trait of our fallen nature to desire to rise above others and glory 
in our fancied superiority over them. Emulations are the works 
of the flesh which Paul gives in his Epistle to the Galatians (Gal. 
5:20). As long as we have depravity in us, it will work that way. 
These men, although they had been preaching the Gospel and even 
casting out devils, yet had the carnal mind in them. And fre- 
quently we have evidences of it in the Gospel narrative. We must 
go back into the previous chapter to understand why the workings 
of carnality in these disciples led to the utterance of this parable 
by the Master. 

A young ruler (See Ch. 19:16-26) had come to Jesus and 
asked what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus had told 
him that he must sell all that he had and give t"o the poor. The 
young man would not come up to the test and went away sorrow- 
ful. This prompts Peter to ask Christ (Ch. 19:27) what he and 
the other disciples should have; for they had given up their all 
to follow Jesus. They had been with him as his chosen dis- 
ciples from the beginning. If the young ruler could have eternal 
life by selling all, how about the disciples who had forsaken all 
and had been with him since the first of his ministry? If this 
man, who came along later, almost at the eleventh hour, might have 
had eternal life, then the disciples who had not only forsaken all 
but had served him a long time certainly ought to have more; 
for were they not more worthy, who had been with him from 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 277 

the beginning and had done more, and were his most particulai 
friends? They were reckoning on the worth of their eminent ser- 
vices. They thought that heaven was to be gained by their good 
works. Their mistake in the first place was, they thought the 
young ruler could have purchased heaven by his good works if 
he had given all. But he, as we saw when studying the passage, 
was not saved by his good works. He could not purchase eternal 
life by giving up his property; but by consecrating it to God he 
got rid of a hindrance to his spiritual life and got where God 
could consistently make him a perfect Christian by killing out the 
carnal mind which was specially given to covetousness in his case. 
His money would not purchase eternal life. Consecration will not 
purchase eternal life, but God can not consistently kill the old 
man unless we are willing to give up the things that the old man 
loves and let God have us wholly. Peter misapprehends religious 
service in thinking it purchases heaven. So Jesus utters this par- 
able to rebuke the carnal mind that is always looking for a reli- 
gion that will bring profit and honor and compares its virtues and 
works with other people to the disadvantage of the latter. The 
last verse of the previous chapter, "But many that are first 
shall be last: and the last shall be first," is the text of this par- 
able. It is repeated in verse 18, at the close of the parable. 

"For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an 
householder. ' ' This undoubtedly refers to God, who calls men 
to enter his service. He calls them. He made the first advances. 
The first set of laborers were hired in the morning for a penny. 
In the Greek it was the denarius. It was from fourteen to eighteen 
cents, in our money. The wages of the laboring man in the East 
are generally very low. But the purchasing power of money is 
greater than with us. Peter and the other disciples are the work- 
men to whom he had promised wages (See Ch. 19:28-29). He 
then went out the third hour of the day (nine o 'clock in the morn- 
ing) and hired some more laborers. At the sixth hour (noon), and 
the ninth hour (three o'clock) he did the same. About the eleventh 
hour he went out again and found others standing idle in the 
market place, and said unto them, "Why stand ye all the day 
idle?" They replied, "Because no man hath hired us." Some 
people try to get comfort from this, in putting off their salvation 



218 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

until late in life, saying that those who came at the eleventh 
hour got their penny. But they have forgotten that the penny 
was given to those who were hired the eleventh hour because they 
had no opportunity before. No man had hired them. This was 
their first opportunity. Doubtless the eleventh hour refers to the 
heathen who have not had the opportunity to seek or hear the 
Gospel. It looks now as if there were being more conversions 
in the heathen world than in Christian nations. He said unto them 
"Go ye also into the vineyard." The clause "and whatsoever is 
right that shall ye receive," is not in the oldest manuscripts 
and is left out of the Eevised Version. When evening came the 
Lord of the vineyard had the laborers called and gave each one 
a penny. The first parties hired thought they would get more and 
murmured, saying, \ * These last have wrought but one hour, and 
thou hast made them equal to us who have borne the burden and 
heat of the day." But the householder told them that he h?d 
done them no wrong, he had paid them all he agreed to pay. 
If he gave the others a penny it was none of their business, f-^r 
he had a right to pay them what he chose. Peter had asked the 
question what shall we receive who have been so much with you 
even from the beginning. 

All the laborers in the vineyard will get to heaven, not for 
what they have done, but for what they are by the grace of 
God. God is after character. If we have the right character we 
will not be thinking so much of our doings or of our superiority 
over others or whether we get as much. Whether we are better 
than others is not the question, for all of us, with great talents 
or few, great or small labor will have to take salvation as poor 
debtors, who can never deserve what we get. We can never earn 
heaven. The sooner we find this out the better for us. This 
parable rebukes those people who think they can earn heaven be- 
cause they have done such great things for the cause of God, or 
have been very useful in the church. Many expect their great 
ecclesiastical works, and their services in the church will bring them 
eternal life. 

The householder replies, "Is it not lawful for me to do what I 
will with mine own?" God is sovereign. It is not for us to 
attempt to bring him to our notions or opinions. "Is thine eye 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 2*79 

evil, because I am good?" The eomplainer looked angry or at 
least displeased and showed it in his eve. So the householder asks 
him if he is putting on that hateful look because his lord has 
been good to him and paid him all he agreed to pay. The whole 
parable rebukes that spirit that thinks that salvation can be ob- 
tained in any way except by faith. The world and the church 
are full of this legalism which seeks to merit salvation by its works 
and glories in fancied superiority over others. 

CAENALITY IS THE ROOT OF CLERICAL POLITICS. 

Vs. 17-23. 

17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples 
apart in the way, and said unto them, 

18 Behold, we go to Jerusalem : and the Son of man shall 
be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they 
shall condemn him to death, 

19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, 
and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again. 

20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her 
sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 

21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, 
Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, 
and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 

22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are 
ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be bap- 
tized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto 
him, We are able. 

23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and 
be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with : but to sit on 
my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be 
given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. 

Jesus, who had been for several months in Perea, the country 
east of the Jordan, now leaves that region and starts on his 
journey to Jerusalem to offer himself a sacrifice for the sins of the 
the world. Mark says the disciples were amazed to see the fear- 
lessness with which he, who had concealed himself for so long a 
time from his enemies, now journeys to Jerusalem, while the dis- 
ciples follow him with fear. He had already told his disciples 
that he was to be killed by the chief priests and scribes and now 
he takes them apart in the way and tells them more plainly. He 
always revealed his truth by degrees, as fast as their minds could 



280 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

grasp it. He never reveals the whole truth of personal salvation 
at once, because the human mind cannot comprehend it. This is 
the reason he does not regenerate and entirely sanctify at the same 
time. He wants us to improve on each degree of the light as 
fast as we can take it up and appreciate it. He said later to his 
disciples, "I have many things to say unto you but ye cannot 
bear them now. ' ' But now he goes, not as one who is forced by 
his enemies but as a willing sacrifice. He said, "I lay down my 
life that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me." 
He could have remained away from Jerusalem and have avoided 
what he knew was before him, but he went a voluntary sacrifice 
for the sins of the whole world. There was a moral grandeur in 
this voluntarily thrusting himself into the hands of his enemies 
and we think a sublime heroism must have shone out of his very 
countenance. No wonder his disciples were amazed. Their ex- 
perience was one constant series of surprises from the first time 
that they met him, until he was translated to heaven from Mt. 
Olivet. 

The new truth here or rather addition was that some one should 
betray him into the hands of the chief priests and the scribes 
who should " deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles, to mock 
and to scourge and to crucify him: and the third day he should 
rise again. ' ' He had told them of his death two or three times 
before this but now he tells them that he is to' be delivered into 
the hands of the Gentiles and that he should rise again. The Jews 
called all other people the Gentiles, or Nations. Here he means 
the Eomans or more particularly Pilate the Roman governor of 
Judea. 

On this journey he is met by Salome, the mother of James and 
John. Their father was Zebedee, of whom little is known. Salome 
was a friend of Jesus, for whom she had a great attachment, be- 
ing one of the last at his cross and among the first at his sepulcher. 
She saw him very soon after he had risen. James and John be- 
lieving that the kingdom of the Jewish Messiah was now about to 
be set up, and doubtless presuming that their mother would have 
great influence with the Master had prevailed on her to ask him 
for the two best offices in his coming kingdom. This was clerical 
politics. Would that it had died out at this time! So she came 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 281 

asking that her two sons might sit, one on the right hand and 
the other on the left in his kingdom. The right and left hand 
were the places of special honor among kings. This meant, of 
course, that they were to be raised above the other disciples. 
Office seeking in the church is one of the marks of inbred sin. 
Many say they were entirely sanctified when converted who are 
full of self seeking, which is as far removed from entire sanctifica- 
tion as the East is from the West. These men sadly needed the 
fires of Pentecost to burn out inbred sin, for clerical politics has 
wrought more havoc in the church of God than all the combined 
attacks of outside opposers. Jesus replied, ' ' Ye know not what ye 
ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I drink of? and to be 
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" People 
not wholly sanctified often pray for things whose nature they 
do not realize. There is a good deal of blind praying. We ought 
always to be certain that we are praying in harmony with the 
will of God, for if He should answer our prayers as we ask them, 
many times it would be our ruin. His right hand and left hand 
were to be occupied in a few days by two thieves writhing in 
agony. His throne was to be a cross of blood. The cup he was 
to drink was a cup of sorrow, of the bitterness of death for sin. 
It meant the bitterness of spirit of one who sees the awful na- 
ture of the sins of the world for which he gives his life. No 
one but Jesus knew what it was. No one can even imagine what 
his sufferings of soul were in Gethsemane. And when he was pass- 
ing through it and drinking this bitter cup in Gethsemane, James 
and John who had made this prayer were asleep. The baptism 
with which he was baptized was a baptism of fire and blood 
that came through the awful persecution of his enemies. James 
did share it with him very soon, for he was put to death (See 
Acts 12:1-2) shortly after the resurrection of his Lord. 

If any one desires to know what Pentecost did, and will do 
for disciples, let them observe what a difference it made in the 
characters of these two disciples. We hear of no office-seeking or 
weakness in them after Pentecost, for Pentecost destroyed the 
carnal mind and their hearts were purified by faith (See Acts 
15:9). They replied to this question just as a modern office- 
seeker might reply, "We are able." They thought they were, 



282 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

for they were relying on their own strength. We do not know 
what is ahead of us and we shall be too confident, if we think 
we can meet the future in our own strength. But if we rely 
on the strength that he gives to those who feel weak enough in 
themselves to claim it, we can do and declare as did Paul, "I can 
do all things through Christ which strengthened me." 

And Jesus said, "Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be 
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with. ? ' They did 
learn by experience the bitterness of the attacks of Satan on the 
soul and the persecution of wicked men. James was put to death 
by Herod, and John had a long life of persecution which resulted 
in his banishment to Patmos. "But to sit on my right hand, and 
on my left, is not mine to give. ' ' Here was a united prayer of two 
that was not answered. Yet he had said, "If two of you shall 
agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask it shall 
be done for them of my Father." This teaches us that God has 
conditions connected with praying. He does not hear the prayers 
of those who do not fulfill the conditions. One of the conditions 
is a submission of our wills to the divine will. "But it shall be 
given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father." It is 
prepared for them who please God and to whom God is pleased 
to give it. God has told us of some things unqualifiedly in his 
word that he stands ready to give and for which we can make 
no mistake in our asking. But he will not give in answer to 
prayer the objects for which we pray when we follow the dictates 
of the carnal mind. No man has a right to ask the Lord for 
worldly honor. That was what they had been asking. God the 
Father unqualifiedly said that it is his will, "Our sanctification, " 
but he has never said that it is his will that we should pray for 
worldly honors. If men appreciated what it is to be sanctified 
how eagerly would they seek it and how gladly would they lay 
down their desires to be great in this world. No one can prosper 
spiritually until he has given up the desire to be great. Are 
there any such? 

CAENALITY BEGETS JEALOUSY. Vs. 24-28. 

24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indigna- 
tion against the two brethren. 

25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 283 

princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that 
are great exercise authority upon them. 

26 But it shall not he so among- you : but whosoever will be great 
among you, let him be your minister ; 

27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your serv- 
ant : 

28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to 
minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 

When the other disciples (the ten) heard it they "were moved 
with indignation. ' ' They were angry, not because James and 
John had done an improper thing but because they had filed their 
petition first. They were filled with the spirit of jealousy. This 
as truly springs from the root of inbred sin as does the self-seek- 
ing spirit evinced in the clerical politics of James and John. 
Often much of the criticism and indignation that people feel at 
the elevation or the aspiration of others arises from a spirit of 
jealousy or envy. So right here in the midst of these preachers 
who had been exercising power to preach the gospel, heal the 
sick and cast out devils, was a little world of ambition and rivalries 
such as exists in the world all about us today. Nothing but the 
Pentecostal blessing, which destroys inbred sin can cure this spirit, 
that feels hurt at the thought of other people being advanced 
above us. Any preacher or layman who has these feelings today 
needs to be entirely sanctified. Any man who has aspiration to 
be boss or desire to be leader even among the holy people lacks 
himself the very fundamentals of a holy life. 

Jesus takes occasion from this to give them some deeper 
truths as to the nature of his religion, than he had yet unfolded 
to them. He reminds them of something that can be seen every 
day in the world, and that is, the despotism that worldly people 
have who seek to lord it over others. The princes of this world 
exercise dominion to gratify their love of ruling over others 
and showing and feeling their authority. But it is not so in 
the real kingdom of God. The real church has no bosses. There 
may be those whom God has appointed to lead, for there must 
be leadership but the leaders are really servants who serve others. 
But when any official, because of his position, begins to lord it 
over others, he has lost the spirit of Jesus Christ, if he ever had 
it. And when an ecclesiastic" has not been dispossessed of the 



284 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

carnal mind it is exceedingly difficult not to get inflated and yield 
to the temptation to lord it over God's heritage. This is the 
temptation that those who are in places of trust, without the 
spirit of the meek and lowly Jesus, usually fall into. So peculiar 
is this temptation to those in position that St. Peter whom 
Catholicism calls the first pope warns against it thus, "Neither 
as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the 
flock" (1 Peter 5:3). He tells them that human notions of great- 
ness are entirely different from the spirit of the Christian reli- 
gion. The lowly spirited who serve others, not who compel others, 
are the really great. 

He then, as head of the church, gives his own example in this 
particular. The greatness of Jesus was shown in the depths to 
which he stooped to save us. His greatness consisted in the fact 
that he could come from the throne of glory to the deepest depths 
of ignominy to rescue us. That surpasses everything that the 
world calls great. Only a great being could be willing to stoop 
so low. A small nature would have been incapable of it. He 
came to minister: that is to serve. "And to give his life a ran- 
som for many. r ' It is impossible ever to state the atonement 
satisfactorily to the human intellect. It has never been done, but 
here we have the most satisfactory and intelligible statement of 
it. Jesus was our substitute. He suffered the penalty for us. 
It was a substituted penalty. "An atonement — an atonement by 
death, an atonement by substitution — is here briefly but powerfully 
expressed, The Saviour will give his life a ransom for the souls 
of many. Now a ransom is always a substitute. The price paid 
is put in the place of the bondage of the ransomed person. 
If a sum be paid to ransom a slave, the money goes to the master, 
in the place of the slave 's servitude. If the ransom goes to redeem 
a captive, the ransom is placed to the conqueror in the room of 
the captive. If a Damon gives his life to ransom Pythias from 
the scaffold, Damon's death is the substitute for Pythias' death. 
And so if Christ's death be given to ransom sinners from death, 
his death must be a substitute for their death. He dies in their 
stead. His death is temporal, and theirs is eternal. So that if 
they, by faith, accept his death in place of their own, they may 
be saved from that impending doom." (Whedon.) 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 285 

CARNALITY HINDERS THE SALVATION OF MEN. 

Vs. 29-34. 

29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude fol- 
lowed him. 

30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when 
they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on 
us, O Lord, thou son of David. 

31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold 
their peace : but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O 
Lord, thou son of David. 

32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will 
ye that I shall do unto you? 

33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. 

34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes : and 
immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him. 

On his journey from Perea he crossed the Jordan and came to 
Jericho, the same city that the Israelites took after they crossed 
Jordan. Here, as great multitudes followed him, two blind men 
cried after him, ' * Have mercy on us O Lord, thou Son of David. ' ' 
Son of David was the appellation that belonged to the Messiah. 
It was so understood. They called upon him as the Messiah. These 
blind men saw in him the Messiah, when many who had eye sight 
failed to see his Messiahship. No doubt their recognition of their 
need helped their faith. Those who feel their need of nothing 
never want to seek God. The Pharisees felt their own sufficiency 
and of course did not seek anything from Jesus. The multitude 
rebuked these blind men for calling after him. The multitude 
thought he was now come as the Jewish Messiah in a temporal 
sense to set up a political kingdom. They thought the healing 
of blind beggars was belittling to the dignity of the occasion and 
something that would detract from it. But the greatness of our 
Christ is seen in the fact that he never overlooks the needs of the 
humblest and poorest. We have seen those, in our days, who seem 
to have no idea that religion or the cause of God is to help, or 
save men, but simply to keep a great organization in running order 
and preserve a religious establishment. There are religious or- 
ganizations that are not in the soul-saving business at all, but 
actually stand in the way of evangelism. 

But the more the multitude rebuked them, the more they cried. 



286 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

It was their only chance of ever getting help and they made 
the most of it. When we feel that way about salvation, we 
shall get help of God. Jesus stood still. His great heart of 
compassion could not refuse their plaintive cry. He stopped in his 
journey to Jerusalem on the great mission that brought him from 
heaven — to die for the world — to hear the cry of two beggars. 
What a Christ! He is still ready to listen to the cry of the 
humblest. 

He said to them, "What will ye that I shall do unto you < ? ,, 
He knew what they wanted but made them tell their wants. It 
is thus in true prayer. God knows what we want before we 
ask, but proposes to have us ask, for there is much implied in 
asking. It leads us to see our dependency upon him and to 
acknowledge our weakness. The reflex influence of prayer upon 
us is a blessing to our own souls which we cannot afford to miss 
even if we had no direct answer. They said, "Lord that our eyes 
may be opened. " Spiritual blindness is even worse than physical 
blindness. We ought to be as anxious to have our spiritual eye- 
sight as these men were for physical eyesight. So in compassion 
he touched their eyes and they were healed. Are we not all, in 
comparison with what there is that we do not know and in com- 
parison with our helplessness, but blind beggars'? If we are sure 
that he has given us spiritual sight we ought to pray for more 
and clearer vision. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

HOLINESS MEETS THE SAME TREATMENT THAT 
JESUS RECEIVED. 

It Has its Times of Popularity Until Men See it Means Crucifixion. 
Vs. 1-16. Ecclesiasticism that Opposes it Decays Spiritually. 
Vs. 17-22. Holiness Can Not be Overthrown. Vs. 23-46. 



IT HAS ITS TIMES OF POPULAKITY UNTIL MEN SEE 
THAT IT MEANS CRUCIFIXION. Vs. 1-16. 

1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come 
to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 

2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and 
straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her : loose 
them, and bring them unto me. 

3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord 
hath need of them ; and straightway he will send them. 

4 All this was done, that it might he fulfilled which was spoken 
by the prophet, saying, 

5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto 
thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 

6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them. 

7 And brought the ass, and the colt and put on them their clothes, 
and they set him thereon. 

8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way ; 
others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the 
way. 

9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, 
saying, Hosanna to the son of David : Blessed is he that cometh 
in the name of the Lord ; Hosanna in the highest. 

10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was 
moved, saying, Who is this? 

11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth 
of Galilee. 

12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all 
them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables 
of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 

287 



288 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called 
the house of prayer ; but ye have made it a den of thieves. 

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple ; and he 
healed them. 

15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful 
things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, 
Hosanna to the son of David ; they were sore displeased, 

16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus 
saith unto them, Yea ; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes 
and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? 

On the fifth day before the Passover, corresponding to our 
Sunday, being the day after the Jewish Sabbath, Jesus drew 
nigh to Jerusalem for his triumphal entry. Why did Jesus make 
this display, when he had hitherto kept himself in retirement? 
The answer is that he was a King as well as Saviour. He came 
not only to the Jews as the suffering Messiah but as the royal 
Messiah and it was necessary for him to come in triumphal glory 
to get the idea clearly before them that they had slain their king, 
when they crucified him. It was very fitting that he, the Son of 
David, should have a royal entrance into Jerusalem, the city of 
David. While he did not do this in order to fulfill prophecy, but 
from a higher motive, yet it did fulfill prophecy. The key to his 
ministry is The Kingdom of heaven. And this was one of the 
series of events showing his royal nature, and his kingdom. He 
seems to have spent the last five days of his life in Jerusalem, 
retiring each night to Bethany so that his enemies could not find 
him until the city had become fully aroused and the idea of his 
kingship had thoroughly permeated the minds of the citizens. 
When he was crucified the title King of The Jews was put above 
his cross by Pilate, in spite of the protest of his enemies. So 
God overrules the malice of men. 

They came to Bethphage first. Bethphage literally, the house of 
figs, probably it was thus named because it was a place where 
many figs grew. It was "nigh to Bethany" so say Mark and 
Luke. Bethany was about two miles from Jerusalem, on the 
eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. He said to his disciples, 
as they halted just before Bethphage, "Go into the village over 
against you," that is, before you. Bethphage was therefore, 
probably, the village to which he sent them. He informed them 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 289 

that in this village they would find an ass tied, and a colt with 
her. Luke adds, ' ' Whereupon never man sat. ' ' These animals 
were used by kings and royalty in those days. But why was he 
so particular as to state that it was one on which never man 
sat? There was a peculiar exelusiveness of sanctity in all the 
earthly appearances of Jesus. ' ' Our Lord was lai 1 in a sepulcher, 
that was hewn in stone, wherein never man was laid before. And 
so our Lord was born of a pure virgin. His birth, his triumph, 
his tomb, were thus alike. His appearance, his history, and his 
departure all thus indicated him to be above the level of ordinary 
humanity" (Whedon). How did our Lord know that the two 
animals would be found there? He probably had made this ar- 
rangement with the owner. The lesson for us is that whatever 
the Lord needs we are to let go, no matter by whom he sends the 
message. Matthew says that all this was in fulfillment of the 
prophecy of Zechariah (Ch. 9:9): "Tell ye the daughter of 
Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek and sitting upon 
an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass." They brought the ass and 
placed their clothes upon it and set Jesus upon the animal. The 
whole multitude spontaneously gave him an ovation. As he en- 
tered the city gates some cast their garments in the way, which 
was the Eastern method of doing reverence to a king. Others 
climbed the trees and cut down the branches and strewed them 
in the way. While still others gathered leaves and twigs and 
rushes and strewed them, as we may see by reading the parallel 
account in Mark (Mark 11:8). Thus they formed a great 
procession, some going before; others after him, shouting, "Ho- 
sanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he that cometh in the name 
of the Lord : Hosanna in the highest. ' ' The word Hosanna 
means save now. It was usually shouted at the Feast of Taber- 
nacles, and on all other occasions that made special mention of the 
Messiah. Hosanna in the highest, means Hosanna in the highest 
degree. John says this procession was made up of those who 
had just seen him raise Lazarus from the dead. Surely this was 
religious enthusiasm and Jesus did not rebuke it but he re- 
buked those who tried to suppress it. We find that the Bible 
encourages and even commands the expression of religious en- 



290 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

thusiasm. Luke tells us that as he came near to the city he wept 
over it. 

When he came into the city, it was greatly stirred, and people 
asked the question, "Who is this?" This is not unlike the en- 
thusiasm, and inquiry that a genuine work of grace makes in a 
community in these days. The multitude answered, "This is 
Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth, of Galilee." 

But he not only came as Zechariah had foretold but he also 
came as Malachi prophesied, ' ' The Lord, whom ye seek, shall sud- 
denly come to his temple (Mai. 3:1-3). Going first to the temple 
was as truly a kingly act as his entrance in kingly triumph. His 
Father's house, which he had cleansed at the beginning of his 
ministry (See John 2:13-16), had become polluted again. The 
temple would not stay clean without the presence of Jesus. Nor 
will our hearts stay clean unless he is there all the time. They 
had allowed the money changers and those who bought and sold 
doves to come in again. The Jews were obliged to pay, each 
one, a half shekel in Jewish money to the service of the temple 
each year and as the Romans had compelled them to use Roman 
money in their business, they were obliged to have their money 
changed into Jewish money in order to make the offering. These 
money changers receiving a percentage for money changed were 
so eager and grasping that they carried their tables into the sacred 
temple. Likewise did the sellers of doves which were used in cer- 
tain sacrifices. 

If Jesus demanded such reverence for the temple in that day, 
does he require any less in this day? Is it not an insult to him to 
dedicate a house to his solemn worship and turn it into a house 
of merchandise? What an insult? Even the dimness and blind- 
ness of Roman Catholicism is more respectful towards their houses 
of worship than many Protestants. When men are irreverent in 
their attitude towards the house of worship it shows a lack of 
regard for Him whom they worship. Usually the modern methods 
of turning the house of God into a place of profit are to relieve 
the people from directly giving that which they ought to give. 
It is a thin veil to hide stinginess. In such cases the house of 
God becomes a place for merchandise or making gain. The cleans- 
ing of the temple is a type of the cleansing which Christ comes to 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 291 

do for every Christian, for the Christian — not the sinner — is a 
temple of the Holy Ghost. As Jesus came suddenly to the temple 
to cleanse it, so he comes by an instantaneous act and cleanses 
the hearts of those who seek in the right manner. It did not take 
him a life time to cleanse the temple at Jerusalem and it does not 
take him a life time of gradual work to cleanse the heart. 

The temple was to the Jewish nation, what the heart is to the 
body. The Jews were a religious nation. Everything- with the 
nation was carried on with the temple as their center of national 
life, just as the heart is the center or fountain of the human 
body. So the cleansing of the temple meant the cleansing of the 
nation. Had it been allowed to remain clean their national life 
would have been clean and powerful. But the priests for gain had 
allowed it to be desecrated. Generally we can tell the condition 
of the nation and people by the way their public religious worship 
manifests itself. 

The question of heart purity is a great question. According 
to their relation to it will be the condition of the religion and 
the morals of the nation. For purity is the central idea of 
Christianity. It is the essence of the whole Bible. Does the 
Second cleansing of the temple hint at the Second work of grace? 
It would seem so. 

As he overthrew the tables of the money changers and the 
seats of those who sold doves, he said, quoting from Isaiah 
56:7, "My house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye have 
made it a den of thieves. ' ' The use of the Scripture by the author 
of Scripture himself is wonderfully instructive. On the sublime 
occasions of his life especially when in conflict with sin, he referred 
his actions fo the Scripture to justify them. They had made the 
house of God a den of thieves. They had made the house of 
prayer, a place for stealing or fraud. No doubt they drove sharp 
bargains in their exchange of money. How do the modern methods 
of money raising in the house, dedicated to the worship of Al- 
mighty God, become a system of fraud and stealing? Usually 
people do not get their money's worth; but in a higher sense, 
it is usually a substitute for that direct giving of our substance 
to God which he has commanded. By going into trading, a penu- 
rious, professed Christianity is able to get from the outside 



292 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

world that which themselves ought to give as a joyous, free will 
offering to God. Thus God is defrauded and their hearts, that 
might have expanded by the grace of liberality, are contracted 
and the spirit of benevolence is dwarfed. 

This whole incident of the enthusiasm and popular favor that 
Jesus received illustrates the nature of popularity. A few days 
later they were crying " crucify him." There is nothing more 
unstable than popularity. Yet men are straining every nerve to 
be popular. If we seek what men can give us, we must remem- 
ber that men can as easily take it away. Holiness is just like 
Jesus. It is very popular when men first see its nature and its 
reasonableness. But when they see that it means giving up all 
and taking the lonely cross, then it becomes unpopular and men 
make all sorts of excuses for rejecting it and crucifying those 
who, like Jesus, represent it and advocate it. 

ECCLESIASTICISM THAT OPPOSES IT DECAYS SPIRIT- 
UALLY. Vs. 17-22. 

17 And he left them, and went oat of the city into Bethany ; 
and he lodged there. 

18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. 

19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and 
found nothing thereon, hut leaves only, and said unto it, Let no 
fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig 
tree withered away. 

20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How 
soon is the fig tree withered away ! 

21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If 
ye have faith, and douht not, ye shall not only do this which is done 
to the fig tree, hut also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou 
removed, and be thou cast into the sea ; it shall be done. 

22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, 
ye shall receive. 

Jesus went to Bethany and lodged each night. When he 
returned the second morning he saw a fig tree, which he symbolical- 
ly likened to the Jewish nation and used it to prophecy their fate. 
It was customary for prophets under the Old Dispensation to act 
out or symbolize the things which they foretold. For instance, 
Ezekiel took a tile and made a representation of the siege of 
Jerusalem (Ezek. 4:1-13). Also Jeremiah acted out the truths 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 293 

that God wished thus to make more emphatic before the people. 
So on this second morning Jesus chose a fig tree to illustrate the 
condition and punishment of the Jews. The fig tree was like 
the Jewish nation. This fig tree had prematurely put forth its 
leaves. The fruit always comes on the fig tree before its leaves. 
Jesus seeing this tree with leaves, that is professing to have fruit, 
went to it, as if to pluck the fruit. Thus he called attention 
to its false profession. The Jewish nation had made a profession, 
through the Pharisees who ruled the nation, of superior holiness. 
They professed holiness of the external life only. It consisted 
in white washing over an unclean heart. These religionists had 
persecuted him and were about to kill him, and were already plot- 
ting against him, because he had shown their hypocrisy, and had 
demanded holiness of heart. So he showed by the parable that 
they would wither away and die in their sins. They had rejected 
the holiness of heart and life which he taught. 

It has ever since been true, whether when preached by Jesus 
or by his representatives, that the church or religious people, who 
reject holiness dry up and die spiritually. The Jewish nation then 
and today is a striking example of the withered fig tree and so 
are all those religionists that reject holiness. So the fig tree 
was not punished for not having fruit primarily but for falsely 
professing to have it. The next morning, according to Mark, the 
disciples called his attention to the fig tree which was all withered 
up from the roots. He made it an object lesson to teach them 
the omnipotence of faith. "If ye have faith, and doubt not, 
ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also 
if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed and be 
thou cast into the sea, it shall be done." Whatever God wants 
us to do he will inspire in us the faith that asks for its accom- 
plishment. There is such a thing as a divinely inspired faith. 
It is more than an intellectual belief. It is inwrought upon the 
soul by the Holy Spirit. Wesley notes that one great end and 
object of this miracle was to confirm and strengthen the faith 
of the disciples. This is usually the object of the divine miracles. 
They were never wrought to satisfy curiosity or to convince cavil- 
lers. The miracles confirmed the faith of the disciples and left 
opposers without excuse for their unbelief. He then lays down 



294 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

one of the fundamental principles which govern prayer: "And all 
things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall re- 
ceive. " Notice that while this promise is unlimited in its scope, 
it is carefully guarded by conditions, for all true prayer com- 
plies with conditions. It is believing prayer that will be answered. 
Believing depends on conditions. No man can exercise real faith 
who knows he is out of harmony with God. To believe under 
such circumstances is fanaticism and not Spirit-inspired faith. 
There is a wide difference between faith and credulity. The 
man who is right with God has the Holy Spirit to inspire him to 
pray the prayers that will be answered. It is of no use for us 
to pray if the Spirit does not inspire our petitions. 

HOLINESS CANNOT BE OVERTHROWN. Vs. 23-46. 

23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests 
and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and 
said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee 
this authority? 

24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you 
one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what 
authority I do these things. 

25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? 
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From 
heaven ; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him ? 

26 But if we shall say, Of men ; we fear the people ; for all hold 
John as a prophet. 

27 And they answered Jesus and said, We cannot tell. And he 
said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these 
things. 

28 But what think ye ? A certain man had two sons ; and he 
came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. 

29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, 
and went. 

30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he an- 
swered and said, I go, sir : and went not. 

31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say 
unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, 
That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God be- 
fore you. 

32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye 
believed him not : but the publicans and the harlots believed him : 
and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might 
believe him. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 295 



33 Hear another parable : There was a certain householder, which 
planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine- 
press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and 
went into a far country : 

34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants 
to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. 

35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and 
killed another, and stoned another. 

36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first : and they 
did unto them likewise. 

37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will 
reverence my son. 

38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among 
themselves, This is the heir ; come, let us kill him, and let us seize 
on his inheritance. 

39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and 
slew him. 

40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will 
he do unto those husbandmen? 

41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked 
men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which 
shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 

42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The 
stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of 
the corner : this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our 
eyes? 

43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken 
from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 

44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken : but 
on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. 

45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his para- 
bles, they perceived that he spake of them. 

46 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the 
multitude, because they took him for a prophet. 

His last public discourses were delivered this day (Tuesday 
before the crucifixion). They were in answer to the attacks made 
upon him. But although his enemies brought the sharpest attacks 
by the keenest minds to bear upon him and his teachings, they 
retired from the field this day vanquished. It is so with the 
holiness that Jesus represented and which he imparts in this 
world to the few. It cannot be overcome even though for a time 
it may seem to be defeated. They who are consistent in their 
lives, straightforward in their testimony and unflinching in their 
preaching are invincible. They have the argument and the Scrip- 



296 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

tures to back it up. We shall see then how Jesus met their cavil- 
lings, in these his last discourses, and let us remember that, though 
they crucified him, they did not answer his arguments. Violence 
is a poor argument. It shows a bad and feeble cause. Violence 
has often been the argument used against holiness. But though 
the preacher is killed the cause survives and is left stronger by 
the opposition. 

The chief priests and the elders (the latter were laymen), and 
the scribes with them (So say Mark and Luke) came to him after 
he had come into the temple to attack him. They were the 
keenest minds that the nation had. They challenged his authority 
saying, "By what authority doest thou these things'? and who 
gave thee this authority?" To have a stranger come and cleanse 
the temple, in addition to the other things that he had said and 
done, was something that they could not overlook. They must 
stop him some how. They did not really want to know his 
authority, for he had said and done enough already to convince 
them of his Messiahship, if they had desired proofs of it. They 
meant to overthrow him in argument and send him away in dis- 
grace and gain the favor of the people which they were losing. 
In his usual method of reply he asks them a searching question 
that puts them on the defensive. It was this : ' ' The baptism of 
John whence was it? from heaven or of men!" This put them in 
a close place, for John had testified of Jesus that he was "the 
Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." If 
they said that John, with his baptism or doctrine, was from 
heaven, they admitted all that John said which included the 
Messiahship of Jesus to which he had testified. So they reasoned 
among themselves saying, "If we shall say, From heaven, he 
will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we 
say of men : we fear the people : for all hold John as a prophet. ' ' 
Luke says (Ch. 20:6), that they feared the people would stone 
them. So they replied, "We cannot tell." They were remarkable 
(?) religious leaders, who could not tell whether John was a 
prophet or not. This was a confession of spiritual ignorance for it 
was their business to know about the religious condition of things 
in general, and of any special revival like that of John. It is the 
business of the leaders of the church to know about the nature of 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 297 

the different religious movements of their day. By this self con- 
fessed religious stupidity, they stultified themselves and owned 
themselves defeated in the encounter. Jesus replied again, 
' ' Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. ' ' Men, 
who had so little sense as they, had no authority to challenge his 
authority as he here clearly shows them. If they could not see 
divine authority in John of what use would it be to show them the 
authority of Jesus? 

He then goes on in a parable to show them that the common 
people, whom they feared so much, that they dared not say 
John's baptism was from heaven, were better and more candid 
hearers of the Gospel than the ecclesiastics of that day. He 
says, "What think ye," that is, Tell me what you think as I relate 
to you a parable. A certain man had told two of his sons to 
go and work in his vineyard. One said, "I will not; but after- 
wards repented and went. ' ' The other said, ' ' I will go, ' ' but went 
not. Jesus then asked the question. Which of the two think you 
dil the will of his father? The one who refused and then went 
represented those publicans and gross sinners who repented of 
their sins and turned to God. The other son represented the 
Pharisees who pretended to serve God but did not. They replied, 
' ' the first. ' ' Jesus said unto them, ' ' Verily I say unto you, that 
the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before 
you. ' ' This gives encouragement to the vilest sinners ever since, 
to turn from their sins, for God will have mercy upon them. 
Chrysostom says, "Who was more wretched than Matthew? But 
he became an evangelist. Who worse than Paul? But he became 
an apostle. Eahab was a harlot, yet she was saved; and the thief 
was a murderer, yet he became a citizen of Paradise; and while 
Judas, being with his Master, perished, the thief being on the 
cross, became a disciple." Notice the publicans and harlots went 
into the kingdom of God. John's preaching admitted people into 
the kingdom of God who believed his gospel, and yet some people 
try to persuade us, that there was no such experience as regenera- 
tion before Pentecost. We believe the statement of Jesus. No- 
tice, too, he says, "Ye, when ye had seen it (the ministry of 
John and the results in turning sinners to God) repented not 
afterward that ye might believe him." Here we see that it is 



298 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

necessary to turn away or repent of sins or we cannot believe 
God. Faith and impenitence never go together. 

Having stopped the mouths of his adversaries, he relates an- 
other parable even more searching than the last. Here we have a 
fine illustration of the value of parabolic teaching. He makes his 
enemies pronounce their own condemnation before he tells them 
that the parable applies to them. This is a masterly method 
of making people admit unwelcome truths. Let us make fre- 
quent use of the parable in our teaching. He cites the in- 
stance of a man, who had prepared a vineyard at great expense 
and let it to husbandmen to take care of. God had intrusted 
the interest of his kingdom into the hands of the Jewish nation 
and had left them to conduct it as they chose, having given 
them free wills. He had a right to expect the fruits of right- 
eousness from them. When he sent servants for the fruits, the 
tillers of the vineyard mistreated them, either stoning, beating 
or killing them. This was the way they had treated the prophets. 
Last of all, as a last appeal he had sent his Son and they killed 
him. This was a prophecy of what they were about to do 
a few days later to Jesus. God did all he could for these wicked 
people. He is merciful and gives all sufficient opportunity to be 
saved if they will. The husbandmen in the parable said when they 
saw the son "this is the heir, come, let us kill him, and let us 
Bxeze on his inheritance." Jesus here delicately lays bare the real 
point at issue between himself and these religious leaders of the 
day. They were afraid of losing their influence with the people. 
The common people heard him gladly, and the Pharisees considered 
the people their property. Is it not so today? Does not ecclesias- 
ticism oppose truth lest it lose the following of the people? 
1 ' So they caught him and cast him out of the vineyard. ' ' The 
Jews delivered Jesus to the Romans, who crucified him outside 
the walls of Jerusalem. Now Jesus puts the question to them and 
says, "When the Lord of the vineyard cometh what will he do 
unto those husbandmen?" Their reply indicates their moral 
stupidity for they condemn themselves, saying, ' ' He will miserably 
destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard to other 
husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons." 
This was the historic fact that we may see today in the rejected 
Jews. 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 299 

The great underlying truth here is that God deals with nations 
and will punish them as nations in this world, as he has the Jews 
and he will deal with individuals in the world to come. Jesus 
then applies the Scriptures which they claimed to reverence and 
had so much confidence in. There was one Scripture that had been 
spoken hundreds of years before which fitted their case. So he 
asks them, "Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone 
which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the 
corner: This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our 
eyes?" They had read their Bibles as some have today, in this 
age of great Bible study, to little purpose. This was a quotation 
from Psalm 118:22. The Gospel was to be taken away from 
them and given to the Gentiles. Then he says, "Whosoever shall 
fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall 
it shall grind him to powder. " ' ' They fall on this stone who are 
offended at Christ in his low estate (Isa. 8:14; 53:2; Luke 2:34; 
4:29; John 4:44); of this sin his hearers were already guilty. 
They on whom the stone falls are those who set themselves in 
self-conscious opposition against the Lord: who, knowing what 
he is, do yet to the end oppose themselves to him and to his king- 
dom. These shall not merely fall and be broken; for one might 
recover himself, though with some present harm, from such a fall 
as this, but on them the stone shall fall as from heaven, and shall 
grind them to powder. " He seems to show two classes of op- 
posers. There is a class, who in the bitterness of opposition to 
Christ, have sinned away the day of grace. There are some who 
have never forgiveness. Mark tells us that the Pharisees and 
scribes left him after this. The phrase "Grind him to powder" 
in the Eevised Version is "scatter him to dust." The Pharisees 
had had enough controversy. They pretended that they wanted to 
see his seal of authority. They got more light than they wanted, 
for they perceived that the parables were concerning them. Jesus 
had a faculty of making his hearers feel that the truth applied to 
them. This ought to be the trait of every preacher. They would 
have liked to have seized him then, but they feared the common 
people. Usually on great moral questions the conscience of the 
masses has been right or nearer so than that of backslidden eccle- 
siastics. It is so as regards the great holiness movement of today. 



CHAPTER XXII. 
THE ATTITUDE OF THE WORLD TOWARD HOLINESS. 

To Scorn and Refuse Holiness is Like a Starving Man Scorning a 
Feast. Vs. 1-10. Holiness is the Wedding Garment. Vs. 11-14. 
Artful Attempts to Find Something Against the Holy. Vs. 15- 
33. Holiness Defined. Vs. 34-40. The Arguments of Holiness 
Are Unanswerable. Vs. 41-46. 

TO SCOEN AND REFUSE HOLINESS IS LIKE A STARVING 
MAN SCORNING A FEAST. Vs. 1-10. 

1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, 
and said, 

2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made 
a marriage for his son, 

3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to 
the wedding : and they would not come. 

4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which 
are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner : my oxen and my 
fatlings are killed, and all things are ready : come unto the marriage. 

5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, 
another to his merchandise : 

6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spite- 
fully, and slew them. 

7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth : and he sent 
forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their 
city. 

8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they 
which were bidden were not worthy. 

9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall 
find, bid to the marriage. 

10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered 
together all as many as they found, both bad and good : and the 
wedding was furnished with guests. 

This parable is closely connected with that of the wicked hus- 
bandmen of the last chapter and should be read in connection 

301 



302 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

with it, as they both are similar in several respects. The intimate 
relation between Christ and his church has been likened to the 
covenant of marriage. This is a favorite figure of the Bible. 
The experience of salvation is like a satisfying feast. A feast 
is one of the most joyous occasions on earth, at least among most 
people. The Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts of a family are 
the events of the year. Like this feast, God gives salvation free 
to those who will receive it. God sent out his invitation primarily 
to the Jews as a nation, but they scorned it. The servants whom 
he sent were the prophets and good men of old, as well as John 
the Baptist, of their immediate time. In patience and forbear- 
ance he kept sending, and men kept making excuses. These ser- 
vants met with varied treatment from different classes of people. 
One class made light of it. The other openly opposed it and actu- 
ally slew the messengers who had come to invite them. Thus it 
is with the call to holiness today. Some make light of it and its 
advocates are called fanatics. Others openly oppose it. There is 
nothing so opposed as a salvation that saves men from sin. One 
class who refused were too much occupied making money. So 
they went to their farms and to their merchandise and paid no 
attention to the call. Perhaps some said there was nothing in it, 
as some say about holiness today. Perhaps others said they did 
not believe that any one could have a joyous feast in this life. 
They probably used about the same old arguments, for there is 
nothing new under the sun. The parable illustrates some of the 
attitudes of the carnal mind against holiness for it, first and last 
and always is against holiness. 

One would think by this opposition that these messengers met 
that men were being robbed of some treasure instead of being 
invited to a feast. And we would think so, to see the way the 
great blessing of holiness is treated today. Men act as if they 
were insulted to be asked to accept this soul satisfying feast. 1 1 On 
this parable it is necessary to remark, 1. That man was made at 
first in union with God. 2. That sin entered in and separated 
between God and man. 3. That as there can be no happiness 
but in union with God, and no heaven without holiness, therefore 
he provided a way to reconcile and re-unite man to himself. 4. 
This was effected by Christ uniting himself to human nature, giv- 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 303 

ing his Spirit to those who believe. 5. That as the marriage union 
is the most intimate, solemn and excellent of all the connections 
formed among mortals, and that they that are thus united to the 
Lord are one flesh: so that the mystic union which is formed be- 
tween God and the soul through Jesus Christ by the Eternal Spirit 
is the closest, most intimate, solemn and excellent that can be con- 
ceived: for he that is thus joined to the Lord is one spirit" 
(Clarke). 

The king becomes indignant because his guests refuse the call. 
To refuse hospitality is usually considered a breach of etiquette, 
but to oppose it and mistreat the messengers is positive insult. 
How will God look upon the treatment that men are receiving today 
who are seeking to get the people to come and partake of full 
salvation? Those who mistreat holiness preachers are really in- 
sulting the God who sends them forth. What a day of reckoning 
there will be ! 

The king therefore sent forth his armies and destroyed those 
murderers and their cities. Then he sent his servants forth to 
find other guests and to invite them from the highways. This 
seems to show that the Gospel message was to be given to the 
Gentiles as the Jews had rejected it. And it was so from the 
days of the persecution after Pentecost. It is true today that 
those churches and individuals, who despise and reject holiness 
are to meet with a similar fate and already it can be seen in 
many quarters. The Spirit has left some for this very reason 
we believe. And God will deal with those who have opposed holi- 
ness; for opposition to holiness means a love of sin. Usually the 
reason that men reject holiness is because there is something else 
they love more. 

HOLINESS IS THE WEDDING GAEMENT. Vs. 11-14. 

11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a 
man which had not on a wedding garment : 

12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how earnest thou in hither 
not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 

13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, 
and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness ; there shall 
be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

14 For many are called, but few are chosen. 



304 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

After the guests were assembled there was one who had no 
wedding garment. This was a breach of etiquette and therefore 
insolence. No man has a right to accept the kindness of a host 
and then misconduct himself. It was a custom in those days to 
furnish guests wedding garments so there was no excuse. God 
has a wedding garment for the wedding feast and he is willing 
to furnish it free; so there is no excuse for not having it. The 
wedding garment is holiness. Notice how much the Scriptures 
have to say about garments representing not our good works but 
our character — what we are. i l Our righteousness is as filthy rags. ' ' 
"Clean linen which is the righteousness of saints." When the 
prodigal came back to his father, he put on him the best robe. 
Garments therefore, in the Bible, stand for character. Holiness 
is the character we must have to enter heaven. "The marriage 
feast or dinner (the communication of the graces of the Gospel 
in this life) prepares for the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 
19:7-9), the enjoyment of eternal blessedness in the kingdom of 
glory. Now as without holiness no man can see the Lord, we 
may at once see what our Lord means by the marriage garment — 
it is holiness of heart and life: the text last quoted asserts that,, 
the fine white and clean linen (alluding to the marriage garment 
above mentioned) was an emblem of the righteousness of the 
saints. Mark this expression, the whole external conduct regulated 
according to the will and word of God, of the saints, the holy 
persons, whose souls were purified by the blood of the Lamb" 
(Clarke). Lyman Abbott, the Calvinistic commentator says 
virtually the same thing showing that the baptism with the Holy 
Ghost gives this purity thus, "Our own righteousness is as filthy 
rags: these God takes from us that he may clothe us with gar- 
ments of salvation washed in the blood of the Lamb. These we 
put on when we put on the Lord Jesus Christ, in baptism, which 
we do not merely by a belief in Christ, but by such a personal 
reception of him, that we lay off the old man and put on a new 
man — Christ Jesus. Without these garments of holiness, a free 
gift of God, none can enter heaven. The wedding garment is 
neither charity nor faith, but the righteousness of the saints, i. e., 
that radical change in character and life wrought by the Spirit of 
God through faith in Jesus Christ, without which no man shall 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 305 

see the Lord." Yet there are thousands as insolent today who 
care no more for holiness than these people did for the wedding 
garment. The Jewish wedding feast lasted about a week before 
the wedding. Notice the wedding feast lasts from the time of 
Christ 's first coming until the Second Advent which is the marriage 
supper of the Lamb. It is now going on. So we see that holiness 
is an experience that may be enjoyed in this life. It is for this 
world therefore, as well as the world to come. 

The king asks him who was without the wedding garment, 
"Friend, how comest thou in hither, not having a wedding gar- 
ment?" The stern requirement of the Judgment will be that 
holiness that men might have had, but spurned. "And he was 
speechless." He had no excuse to offer. What excuse can men 
have for rejecting holiness at the judgment? Can they say God 
did not provide it, when he declares that "the blood of Jesus 
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin?" Can they say they 
never knew about it, when the Book of God is full of it? 

"Then said the king unto the servants, Bind him hand and 
foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness: there 
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ' ' Weeping signifies sorrow 
and gnashing of teeth signifies rage — two characteristics of the 
lost world. This verse means it is holiness or hell. Some think 
holiness is a luxury merely, but according to the Bible it is a 
necessity. "For many are called but few are chosen." This is 
the key to the understanding of the whole parable. The com- 
mentators have seen in this parable the rejection of the entire 
Jewish nation who were called first and the selecting of certain 
ones of the Gentiles. But there is also a deeper lesson than that. 
We Gentiles today have the Gospel because the Jews refused it. 
Some become converted and get into the kingdom of God, but will 
fail to get to the marriage supper of the Lamb because they do 
not get on the wedding garment of that ' l holiness without which 
no man shall see the Lord. ' ' Only those will be chosen who choose 
holiness. This is the doctrine of election — "elect of God through 
sanctification " (1 Peter 1:1-2). We do not mean by this neces- 
sarily those who choose it technically, for there are many good 
people who have never understood the doctrine, but we mean 
those who sigh and lament their depravity and seek to get rid of 



306 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

it and have a disposition of heart against it, and would seek a 
pure heart if the subject were presented to them clearly. They 
long to be pure even if they do not know how to secure this bless- 
ing. They are the class who always get it when they hear it 
preached. 

AETFUL ATTEMPTS TO FIND SOMETHING AGAINST 
THE HOLY. Vs. 15-33. 

15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might 
entangle him in his talk. 

16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, 
saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of 
God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not 
the person of men. 

17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give 
tribute unto Caesar, or not? 

18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye 
me, ye hypocrites? 

19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a 
penny. 

20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscrip- 
tion? 

21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, 
Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's ; and unto 
God the things that are God's. 

22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left 
him, and went their way. 

23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that 
there is no resurrection, and asked him, 

24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, 
his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 

25 Now there were with us seven brethren : and the first, when he 
had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto 
his brother : 

26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. 

27 And last of all the woman died also. 

28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the 
seven? for they all had her. 

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the 
scriptures, nor the power of God. 

30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in 
marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. 

31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read 
that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 



• ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 307 

32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the 
God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 

33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at 
his doctrine. 

Holy people, like Jesus, are always on trial and are always 
being tested by those who do not love the principles which they 
advocate or the experience which they possess. The Pharisees 
came again against him to catch him in his talk. Although they 
were worsted in every attack, each defeat made them more des- 
perate. So they combined with the Herodians. The latter were 
probably a political party, friends and sympathizers of the family 
of Herod, and of course friends of the Eoman government. All 
classes combined against Jesus as they usually do against his repre- 
sentatives. They laid down their enmity towards each other for 
the time being to persecute holiness. Very likely Herod might 
have been in this plot to cause Jesus to get into trouble with 
the Eoman government. Their question was prefaced by delicate 
flattery thus: " Master we know that thou art true, and teachest 
the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for 
thou regardest not the person of men." Some one says/ 'the devil 
never lies so foully as when he tells the truth. ' ' They spoke the 
truth concerning Jesus but if they believed it they only acknowl- 
edged and uttered it, in order to destroy him, if possible. So 
they ask him, "What thinkest thou? is it lawful to give tribute 
to Caesar or not?" The tribute given to Caesar Tiberius, the 
Eoman emporer by the Jews was to them an exceedingly odious 
requirement. The Eoman government had conquered them and 
they were obliged to pay tribute. If any Jew had anything to 
eay in favor of paying it, he lost caste and influence with the 
people. On the other hand if he advised against paying it, they 
could report his words to the Eoman headquarters and accuse him 
of inciting rebellion against the Eoman government. So they 
thought they had him in a snare. But they were dealing with 
one who could read their hearts. Jesus saw into all their wickedness 
and said, "Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?" They had just said 
that he regarded not the person of men, and they got a good 
illustration of it in their own case. 

He called for the coin that they had to pay as tribute. They 



308 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

brought to him a penny or denarius. This was a coin about the 
value of seventeen cents in our money. It was a Eoman coin. 
They had accepted it as the money that they used. He asked 
them, "Whose is this image and superscription V ' They replied, 
' l Caesar 's. ' ' Then he again replied, ' ' Bender therefore unto Caesar 
the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are 
God's." He had solved the question in such a way that they 
could say nothing. "He compels the questioners to expose their 
own inconsistency. They accept in the coin of Rome the Eoman 
government. So long as they do this they are bound to give 
back support to it. For so long as the citizen accepts the bene- 
fit of a government, he owes it allegiance and obedience. At the 
same time Christ affords both the ground and the limitation of 
this obedience. ' The powers that be, are ordained of God. ' Be- 
cause we are to render to God the things that are God's, we are 
to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, for Caesar is of 
God; but when Caesar requires what God forbids we are to dis- 
obey." (Abbott.) 

The Pharisees and Herodians are foiled but the Sadducees think 
they can catch him. So the same day they come to him, with 
what they think is an unanswerable question. The Sadducees were 
the infidels of that day. They denied the existence of the soul 
beyond the grave, rejected all the Bible except the Pentateuch 
and asserted that virtue is its own reward and that we ought to 
serve God without regard for any future reward. They denied 
the doctrine of divine providence. While they believed there was 
a God, yet they did not believe that he had anything to do with 
human affairs. They were bitter opponents of the Pharisees. 
They bring up the incident of a woman who had seven husbands 
and ask, "Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife shall she be 
of the seven? for they all had her." This was probably an 
imaginary case, invented for the occasion. They thought they 
had demolished the doctrine of the resurrection which Jesus had 
been preaching. Jesus was ready for them and replied, "Ye do 
err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God." Is this 
not reason that so many err in our day on the vital doctrines of 
the Bible? Many who oppose holiness, the fundamental doctrine 
of the Bible are as ignorant of the Bible and the power of God as 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 309 

these Pharisees. The ignorance of Scripture and of the power of 
God among the opposers of the doctrine of holiness, which is the 
resurrection of the soul from sin, is as pitiful as the error of 
these Sadducees. Men are cavilling today over the doctrine of the 
resurrection of the body with a part of the church because they 
know neither the Scripture nor the power of God, and that part 
of the church, in turn, are cavilling with another part and denying 
the death to sin, and resurrection into holiness, for the same 
reason — ignorance of the Bible and of the power of God in their 
hearts. The Sadducees cited Moses when they began the attack 
saying, ' ' Moses said if a man die ... his brother shall marry 
his wife. ' ' Now Jesus cited Moses to them in return. He quotes 
what God had said to Moses out of the burning bush (See Ex. 
3:6, 15, 16). He tells them that "in the resurrection they neither 
marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God. ' ' 
They got some light they never dreamed of before. "When God 
told Moses "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, 
the God of Jacob" at the burning bush, he taught there the 
doctrine of the resurrection. He taught that Abraham, Isaac and 
Jacob were existing. The resurrection is taught in the Old Testa- 
ment. The opposition of the enemies of supernatural religion is 
founded on ignorance to a great extent. 

HOLINESS DEFINED. Vs. 34-40. 

34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the 
Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 

35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, 
tempting him, and saying, 

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
all thy heart, and all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

38 This is the first and great commandment. 

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour 
as thyself. 

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the 
prophets. 

The Sadducees and Herodians retired from the attack, defeated. 
And now a lawyer, that is, one who was skilled in the Jewish 
laws — not the laws of Moses but the laws of the Jewish Rabbis; 



310 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

a man we would call a theologian or doctor of divinity, comes to 
attack Jesus by questioning him on the most disputed questions of 
the day, viz.: ''Which is the great commandment in the law?" 
The Jews were not at all agreed as to this. Some said the law 
of the Sabbath was the greatest. Others said the law against 
idolatry and others the tradition of the elders concerning ablutions. 
He thought he would catch Jesus with this question. Or he might 
have asked from curiosity. Jesus replied: "Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all 
thy mind." This was the sum and substance of the first four 
commands of the decalogue. This is exactly the form that Moses 
had given the Jews. (See Deut. 6:4-5 and many other places in 
the Old Testament.) We are to love God with all the heart, that 
is, with all the affections; with all the soul, that is, with the 
whole life; with all the mind, that it, with all the powers of our 
mental nature. This takes in all the active and moral powers 
of man. It means then, the whole being. This is holiness, the 
result of entire sanctification, which removes every opposite ten- 
dency to love, from the soul. Under the Old Testament this sanc- 
tification was symbolized by the rite of circumcision. We hear God 
saying through Moses, "And the Lord thy God will circumcise 
thine heart and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God 
with all thine heart, and with all thy soul that thou mayest 
live" (Deut. 30:6). This is the end of the commandment, says 
Paul (See 1 Tim. 1:5). This being the first commandment and 
the end of the commandment, it is the sum of all our duty, and all 
that God requires of us is wrapped up in this command. This is 
Christian Perfection — not absolute Perfection. It is the fulfilling 
of the law. It is a heart free from all sin and full of the love 
of God. ' ' The second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor 
as thyself." It is similar to the first because it is love to all our 
fellow creatures whom God has created, as our neighbors. The 
lawyer got more in the answer than he had asked — the second 
commandment as well as the first. 

We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, but we cannot do it 
until we love God as we should. When the heart has inbred sin 
cut out by the circumcising of entire sanctification then and 
only then is it possible to love our neighbor as ourselves. Notice, 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 311 

he does not forbid us to love ourselves. This is proper if it does 
not degenerate into selfishness. Self love is an original principle 
of our nature. Many object as much to the command to love our 
neighbor as ourselves as they do to loving God with all the heart. 
No man can love himself aright until he has been entirely sanctified. 
When he loves himself as he ought it is easy to love his neighbor 
as himself. And when we love God as we ought we can love 
both our neighbors and ourselves as we should. Paul explains this 
command by saying, "Love worketh no ill to his neighbor, there- 
fore love is the fulfilling of the law" (Eom. 13:10). "On these 
two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. " The 
law and the prophets was the title given to the Old Testament. 
"They are like the first and last links of a chain, all the inter- 
mediate ones depend upon them. True religion begins and ends 
in love to God and man. These are the two grand links that unite 
God to man, man to his fellows and men again to God." (Clarke.) 

THE ARGUMENTS OF HOLINESS ARE UNANSWERABLE. 
Vs. 41-46. 

41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 

42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They 
say unto him, The son of David. 

43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him 
Lord, saying, 

44 The Lord saith unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till T 
make thine enemies thy footstool? 

45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 

46 And no man was ahle to answer him a word, neither durst 
any man from that day forth ask him any more questions. 

He now turns the tables on his enemies who have been asking 
him questions by asking them one that they did not know how to 
answer, and the more they tried to answer the more he confused 
them. ' ' What think ye of Christ ? ' ' Literally, ' * What think ye of 
the Messiah? whose son is he?" They thought it a very easy 
question and replied, "The son of David." He then asks, "How 
then doth David in the spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said 
unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, till I make thine enemies 
thy footstool? If David call him Lord, how is he his son?" He 
asked them some things about their own Scriptures in which they 



312 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

claimed to be well versed that they could not answer. The ques- 
tion was vital to the whole subject of his authority which they 
had been questioning with so much zeal. Mark in the parallel 
(Mark 12:36) passage says, "By the Holy Ghost," showing that 
David in writing the Psalms had the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 
We offer this to the higher critics who are easting disparagement on 
the Old Testament in these days. This quotation is from 
Psalm 110. 

This closed all controversy. No man dared to ask him any 
more questions from that day. He, who began in the temple at 
the age of twelve to ask the doctors of the law questions that 
astonished them, now finishes with them, and they are glad to re- 
tire from the arena. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 
MERE ECCLESIASTICISM VERSUS HOLINESS. 

It is Oppressive While Holiness is an Easy Yoke. Vs. 1-4. Ecclesi- 
asticism is Ostentatious, but Holiness Begets Humility. Vs. 5- 
12. Ecclesiasticism is a Hindrance to True Religion. Vs. 13. 
It is Avaricious. Vs. 14. It is Sectarian. Vs. 15. Puts Ec- 
clesiastical Law Above the Law of God. Vs. 16-22. Great in 
Forms and Ceremonies. Vs. 23-24. Ecclesiasticism Does Not 
Believe in Heart Holiness. Vs. 25-28. Dead Ecclesiasticism 
Persecutes Holy People. Vs. 29-36. God Condemns Ecclesias- 
ticism Which is Devoid of Holiness. Vs. 37-39. 

Ecclesiasticism without divine life is a machine without power. 
It is the manipulation of forms, ceremonies and church govern- 
ment without spiritual life, in these forms and ordinances. Eccles- 
iasticism is the worst foe with which holy men of all ages have 
had to contend. It has blocked the way of holiness more than all 
the opposition of infidels and skeptics in the outside world. A 
glance at history will show that every spiritual movement has had 
its worst enemies in the professed church. Eead the life of 
Jesus, the apostles, and the reformers of every age for proof of 
this. History still repeats itself in the spiritual movement of the 
day in which we live. 

It is worthy of note that this is the last public address of 
Christ. It is his farewell shot at the ecclesiasticism of the Phari- 
sees that dogged him all the way from his first sermon. It is 
worth while to compare this last public discourse of Jesus with his 
first address, The Sermon on the Mount. In that he opened the 
battle on Phariseeism, showing its hollowness, saying ''except 
your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes 
and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of 
heaven. ' ' That was the gage of battle which he threw down and 

813 



314 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

now he closes his warfare with them by a thorough exposure and 
by pronouncing woe upon them and weeping over the unhappy 
city which they had brought, under their sway, to its ruin. Note 
the charges he makes against this pernicious ecciesiasticism. 

IT IS OPPRESSIVE WHILE HOLINESS IS AN EASY YOKE. 

Vs. 1-4. 

1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 

2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat : 

3 All therefore whatsoever they hid you observe, that observe and 
do ; but do not ye after their works : for they say, and do not. 

4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay 
them on men's shoulders ; but they themselves will not move them 
with one of their fingers. 

This address was delivered to the multitude warning them 
against these irreligious religionists. The Scribes and Pharisees 
were members of the Jewish Sanhedrim which claimed to have its 
existence by the appointment of Moses. It was the same as the 
judicial bench in our times. As far as they, as successors of 
Moses, taught the law of Moses the people were commanded to 
obey them. But Jesus commanded them not to follow their ex- 
ample. There was a vast difference between their preaching and 
practice. He now goes on, in the rest of the chapter to show 
the evil practices of the Pharisees. It is the old story of men sub- 
stituting their religious notions for holiness. They loaded up 
religion with a cumbersome burden of ceremonies which God had 
never commanded. This is always the case with ecciesiasticism 
when it has lost religious life. Men think to make up for the 
loss of power by adding new machinery. But the more wheels 
we put on the machine, the more friction there is, and the harder 
it is to make the machinery move. The Pharisees added the tradi- 
tion of the elders, to the law of Moses. The Romanist adds cum- 
bersome rites and ceremonialism and the Protestant church is not 
far behind. The simplicity of heart religion is superseded by 
much that man has added. The worst of it was they did nothing 
to help the people. If so much religion would give soul rest it 
would not be wholly in vain. But it does not. Jesus, the good 
Shepherd, leads his flock. But Pharisees try to drive it. Jesus 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 315 

tells us that if we will take his easy yoke, we will find that he 
will give us rest. Ecclesiastieism never gives rest of soul. 

But is it right to listen to those in the seat of Moses who 
are wicked? Jesus says, obey them as far as they preach the word 
of God. It is Moses ' seat, not theirs. If they defile it we can 
not help that. We ought to obey the truth no matter from whom 
we hear it. The powers that be are ordained of God. Moses' 
seat, the pulpit, the church, are the visible representations of God 's 
cause in the community. 

We learn then from this Scripture that all religion that is de- 
void of holiness of heart is cumbersome and oppressive. It is go- 
ing through the motions of religion and getting nothing out of it. 

ECCLESIASTICISM IS OSTENTATIOUS, BUT HOLINESS 
BEGETS HUMILITY. Vs. 5-12. 

5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men : they make 
broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 

6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in 
the synagogues, 

7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, RabbL 
Rabbi. 

8 But be not ye called Rabbi : for one is your Master, even 
Christ ; and all ye are brethren. 

9 And call no man your father upon the earth : for one Is your 
Father, which is in heaven. 

10 Neither be ye called masters : for one is your Master, even 
Christ, 

11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 

12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased ; and he 
that shall humble himself shall be exalted. 

Since unholy ecclesiastieism receives nothing from God, it has 
to get its reward from men. So it seeks the applause of men. It 
feeds on this kind of food. The Pharisees made broad their phy- 
lacteries. The phylactery was a little box of black calf skin, con- 
taining four passages of Scripture — Ex. 13:2-10; 11-17; Deut. 
6:4-9; 13-22 — written on pieces of parchment. This box was worn 
on the arm or forehead. This custom arose from a literal in- 
terpretation of Deut. 6:8. They enlarged the borders or hems of 
their garments. They had been commanded to wear such borders 
in order to keep constantly before them a visible reminder of the 



316 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

law of God. (See Numbers 15:38, 39 and Deut. 22:12.) They 
enlarged these borders or fringes more than necessary, to show their 
fancied, superior devotion to religion. They would have it under- 
stood that they were more pious than people who wore the or- 
dinary garments with the moderate hem. Peculiarity of dress is 
no sign of superior piety. Matthew Henry says : " It is a gracious 
ambition to covet to be really more holy than others, but it is a 
proud ambition to covet to appear so." This may be true if 
taken in the proper sense. To desire to be more holy than others 
for the sake of being better than they is sinful. But if we see 
that the ordinary mass of professed Christians are not what they 
should be it is a noble ambition to covet to be what every Chris- 
tian ought to be — holy, not for the sake of outshining others but 
for the sake of being what God wants us to be. 

These ecclesiastics also loved the uppermost seats at feasts. 
The word here translated rooms is correctly translated in the Re- 
vised Version thus, "the chief place." By consulting Luke 14:7 
it will be seen that each seat had its special degree of honor. 
It is one of the characteristics of carnality, as shown in worldly 
religion, to be always desiring place and position. There are many 
in ecclesiastical circles today, who will do nothing in the church 
unless they are put ahead, into office or on committees. The "old 
man" likes to make a parade. These religionists loved "the 
chief seats in the synagogues. ' ' The best pews, distinction of place 
in the house of God. At the upper end of the synagogue stood 
the ark or box that contained the Book of the Law. This portion 
of the synagogue answered to the chancel in the modern church. 
Near it were the chief seats which were usually occupied by the 
elder of the synagogue. Notice the contrast between them and 
David, who was willing to be a door-keeper in the house of the 
Lord (Psa. 84:10). Here we see the contrast between carnal 
religion and real holiness. 

They loved to be called Rabbi. The word means master. 
Abbott says: "It very nearly answers in significance our modern 
title, Doctor. Its use is thought to have arisen in the time of 
Herod the Great. There were degrees of honor in the title, Rabbi 
being considered higher than Rab, and Rabban than Rabbi." 
Titles given simply for the sake of honor and not indicating any 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 317 

office are here forbidden. The modern title ' ' Doctor of Divinity ' ' 
is a violation of this command and is one of the marks of carnality. 
It is a vain and empty display of fictitious preeminence, which 
pretends to exalt some above others, when there is no ground for 
such exaltation. ''This title (Kabbi) corresponds to the title 
Doctor of Divinity as applied to ministers of the Gospel; and so 
far as I can see, the spirit of the Saviour's command is violated 
by the reception of such a title, as really as it would have been 
by their being called Eabbi. It makes a distinction between min- 
isters. It tends to engender pride and a sense of superiority in 
those who obtain it, and envy, and a sense of inferiority in those 
who do not, and the whole spirit and tendency of it is contrary 
to the simplicity that is in Christ" (Barnes). But what shall 
we say still further to Christians who address the leaders of some 
secret orders to which they belong as Master? when Jesus says, 
"Call no man Master?" He then gives some striking truths en- 
tirely different from the notions of the carnal mind. "He that 
is greatest among you, shall be your servant." The great man 
is the man who serves his fellow man and not the man who seeks 
to be preeminent. Who are the great men of the world? Are they 
the oil kings, the railway magnates, the leaders of the trusts who 
are seeking their own greatness.? No, they are those like Moses, 
Wesley, Howard, Florence Nightingale, and Elizabeth Frye, who 
have lived to bless others. True holiness is as opposite to the dis- 
play and ambition of mere ecclesiasticism as day is opposite to 
night. 

ECCLESIASTICISM IS A HINDANCE TO TKTTE EELIGION. 

Vs. 13. 

13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for 
ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men : for ye neither go in 
yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 

Jesus now pronounces four woes upon this dead ecclesiasticism. 
Some prate much about the gentle Jesus as if his gentleness 
would allow them to commit sin with impunity. He said the most 
awful things about the doom of the wicked that were ever spoken. 
And his imprecations were against a church that had no real 



318 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

spiritual life. His first woe was because this dead ecelesiasticism 
stood in the way of spiritual religion. It has always been true 
that the worst and greatest foe to spiritual religion has been dead 
formal religion. It has done more harm than the attacks of out- 
side infidelity. These Pharisees shut the kingdom by denying the 
Scriptures and putting the tradition of the elders in their place. 
The church of Eome does the same thing today. And the same 
holds true in some Protestant pulpits that obscure and cover up 
the Scripture with philosophy, metaphysics and speculations in- 
stead of the simple exposition of the Scriptures. It is true where 
ecelesiasticism lays any obstacle in the way of those who are 
seeking to lead a holy life. Those who do not wish to obtain 
holiness, as an experience, and who do all they can to hinder others 
have a woe pronounced upon them. 

IT IS AVAEICIOUS. Vs. 14. 

14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye de- 
vour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer : there- 
fore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 

When the visible church gets to be only a religious machine 
with the life and power all gone, it has always been a great 
organization for money getting. These religious leaders made long 
prayers, but at the same time they looked after the shekels, by 
getting the estates of the poor especially of widows (who had no 
natural protector), into their hands. This is the reason that 
Eomanism has impoverished every country in which it has pre- 
vailed. The church gets about all the money. Many Protestant 
churches today pay more attention to raising money than any- 
thing else. They are working financial schemes all the time, and 
in some instances even rivaling the mercantile world about them. 
The great pretenders who organize new sects like Dowieism and 
Eddyism have, like the ancient Pharisees, got an influence over 
the weak, which they have turned to their own financial ad- 
vantage. True holiness is entirely free from the spirit of avarice. 

IT IS SECTAEIAN. Vs. 15. 

15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye 
compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, 
ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 319 

These Pharisees were very zealous to make proselytes to their 
faith. They cared not how they obtained them if they only got 
them. Whether these proselytes embraced the faith of the religion 
of Jehovah from the heart, did not concern them. Dr. Smith says: 
' ' When they had the power they used force ; when they had not 
the power they resorted to fraud. They appeared as soothsayers, 
divines, exorcists, and addressed themselves especially to the fears 
and superstitions of women." No wonder when they got these 
blinded and deceived converts they made them twofold more the 
children of hell; deceived men who had come into a nest of hypo- 
crites. Sectarianism is another of the marks of carnality and dead 
ecclesiasticism is full of it — seking to build up the sect rather 
than the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Holiness kills out sectarianism. 

IT PUTS ECCLESIASTICAL LAW ABOVE THE LAW OF 
GOD. Vs. 16-22. 

16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall 
swear by the temple, it is nothing ; but whosoever shall swear by the 
gold of the temple, he is a debtor ! 

17 Ye fools and blind : for whether is greater, the gold, or the 
temple that sanctifieth the gold? 

18 And, whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing ; but 
whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 

19 Ye fools and blind : for whether is greater, the gift, or the 
altar that sanctifieth the gift? 

20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and 
by all things thereon. 

21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by 
him that dwelleth therein. 

22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne 
of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 

Well did Jesus call them blind guides. Jesus shows this by 
their form of oath — claiming that to swear by the temple was 
nothing in their eyes, but to swear by the gold of the temple would 
put a man under obligation to keep the oath. All this was to 
nullify or weaken the laws of God in the matter of oaths. It was 
rvuch like the casuistry of the modern Jesuits, who have a way of 
turning everything to their own advantage and glossing over every 
kind of sin. So also of swearing by the altar and by the gift upon 
the altar. Here Jesus, in his argument against them, used the 



320 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

phrase that is much used among us today — "the altar which 
sanctifieth the gift. ' ' Much stress has been put upon this passage 
by teachers of holiness and sometimes it has been erroneously 
applied. It has been customary to ask seekers: "Are you all 
upon the altar yourself and all that you have?" When the reply 
has been given "Yes," then the statement is made, "The altar 
sanctifieth the gift, now believe it." No doubt this has been 
a means of stimulating faith and has worked well as a means of 
grace in many instances. And no doubt it has worked ill in many 
cases too. How does one know that they have laid all upon the 
altar? They may be mistaken in so thinking. It is best to hold 
our all there as best we can and believe that it is all on the altar, 
but we can not be quite sure until God comes and witnesses to the 
fact. We may have left off something and need to wait for further 
light on the matter. Let us be quite sure that we have really 
made the consecration. 

IT IS GREAT ON FOEMS AND CEREMONIES. Vs. 23-24. 

23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye 
pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the 
weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith : these ought 
ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 

24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 

The law of Moses required that the tenth of all increase 
should be given to the support of the worship of God. The 
Pharisees were so scrupulous in this that they not only applied 
it to the grain of the field but even to the garden and pot herbs — 
"mint, rue, anise and cummin." They went to the minutest and 
furthest extreme. But while they were so scrupulous in these ex- 
ternal matters they neglected the most essential part of the law — 
that which has to do with the heart and its relations to Go4. 
These retailers of mint, rue and cummin did no business in judg- 
ment, mercy and faith. What good is it to keep a law or have a 
religion if it does not make us good? It will be noticed that 
the religionists who make the most of forms make almost nothing 
of holiness and righteousness. While Jesus did not condemn 
scrupulousness in small matters he insisted that we ought to be 
just as scrupulous in the more important parts of the law. We 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 321 

have seen, in our day, men very zealous for ordinances, who seemed 
to know nothing about those spiritual experiences for which the 
ordinances stand. What does a religion amount to that does not 
make and keep men good? " These blind guides," in the language 
of the Eevised Version, "strained out the gnat and swallowed the 
camel. ' ' It was a custom to strain out all insects before drinking 
in that country. 

ECCLESIASTICISM DOES NOT BELIEVE IN HEART 
HOLINESS. Vs. 25-28. 

25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye make 
clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they 
are full of extortion and excess. 

26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup 
and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 

27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hyprocrites ! for ye are 
like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, 
but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 

28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but 
within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 

It will be seen here that Jesus is preaching holiness. These 
religionists had much to say about external purity. Washing the 
outside of the cup and platter is the figure that Jesus uses. They 
taught a clean outside only, like many religious teachers of to- 
day. They had little or nothing to say about heart purity. 
"Cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that 
the outside of them may be clean also." Here Jesus . announces 
the real method of his Gospel. It is to get the heart right and 
then the outward life will be correspondingly clean. The way to 
make the outside right is to begin on the inside. Here is the 
difference between dead ecclesiasticism and real holiness. The 
former begins on the outside and tries to work in, but cannot. 
The latter begins on the inside and works out and thus the 
whole man is renovated. David prayed, "Create in me a clean 
heart." He prayed for the inside to be made clean. Out of the 
heart, said Solomon, flow all the streams of life. Therefore we 
must have the fountain clean if we would have the streams of 
word, act and influence right. He now changes the figure from 
that of a cup and platter to sepulchres: to which he likens the 



322 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

Pharisees. He says that a dead ecclesiasticism that makes reli- 
gion an outside affair merely, is like a tomb full of rottenness — 
the impurity of sinful hearts. These Pharisees had no use for real 
holiness. When we see who oppose holiness, we love it for 
the enemies it makes. 

DEAD ECCLESIASTICISM PEESECUTES HOLY PEOPLE. 
Vs. 29-36. 

29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! because 
ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of 
the righteous, 

30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would 
not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 

31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the 
children of them which killed the prophets. 

32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 

33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the 
damnation of hell? 

34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, 
and scribes : and some of them ye shall kill and crucify ; and some 
of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from 
city to city : 

35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon 
the earth, from the blood of righteous Aibel unto the blood of Zach- 
arias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the 
altar. 

36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this 
generation. 

This has been the history of dead churches for thousands of 
years. They have always persecuted those among them who have 
had spiritual life. It has ever been the custom to honor the 
martyred dead of the past and persecute their spiritual descendants, 
whom the next generation will honor. Finding fault with the 
forefathers for persecuting the saints of their day, they do not 
have spiritual sense enough to discover the saints of the present. 
In criticising the fathers for their persecution and bigotry, 
the present generation condemns itself. Who is being treated 
today as were the saints of the past? Those who seek to be holy. 
Dead ecclesiasticism was the worst foe to the Apostles, the Ee- 
formers, the Puritans, the Quakers, the early Methodists and is the 
same to the Holiness people of today. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 323 

"Fill ye up the measure of your fathers." By acting as 
they did we approve of what they did and fill up the measure of 
our guilt and become responsible. These false religionists had no 
excuse, for prophets and wise men had been sent to them. There 
is light enough. No one has any excuse for being a religious 
teacher, as were these scribes, and not obtaining the experience 
of holiness that makes clean the cup and the platter, and purifies 
the deadness and corruption of those living tombs. By refusing 
the cleansing, and persecuting those who were sent to teach about 
it, they were sealing their doom. Notice he calls these church 
men, who refused heart holiness and persecuted the saints, "Ser- 
pents and a generation of vipers. ' ' What a picture of holiness 
haters and fighters! How true it is to life today! He represents 
by a figure the blood of martyrs from the days of Abel as flowing 
down upon them like a mighty flood, for by treating their own 
saints as they did they had ratified all the guilt of the martyrdom 
of the past and were essentially guilty of it in the fact that they 
endorsed it virtually by acting just as their fathers did. Zacharias 
was slain by the people (2 Chron. 24:20-22). He was slain in the 
temple. It was one of the most awful murders that ever took 
place in the estimation of the Jews and they were accustomed to 
say that the blood was never washed away until the temple was 
burned. Jesus said all these things shall come upon this genera- 
tion. He means that all these crimes were treasured up and the 
punishment would come upon that generation. God punishes na- 
tions in this world. 

GOD CONDEMNS ECCLESIASTICISM THAT IS DEVOID OF 
HOLINESS. Vs. 37-39. 

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and 
stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gath- 
ered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under 
her wings, and ye would not ! 

38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 

39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye 
shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of fhe Lord. 

This very religion that was of the most approved order among 
men was condemned by God. What a surprise eternity will be 



324 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

to some men in their ideas of the kind of religion that God ap- 
proves. What a surprise to see the inside of these cups and 
platters and these beautiful tombs that looked so lovely in their 
white wash. Eternity will reveal it. Here is a striking lesson 
of what God thinks of a church and religion without holiness. 
Jesus used a tender and expressive figure of a hen hovering 
over her brood. There is nothing under heaven more tender 
and solicitous in its care than a hen with her chickens. It means 
that if Jesus could have had his way, he would have carefully 
cherished this unholy church. In this verse he teaches his divinity. 
Who but a divine being could have so talked and asserted his 
right and their duty to come to him! "And ye would not." This 
shows the freedom of the human will. They had the power to re- 
fuse to come. "Behold your house is left unto you desolate. " 
This refers to the temple. It had been called God's house, but by 
refusing the grace and blessing of God he was to depart from it 
with the Shechinah and it was henceforth to be their house — 
desolate because God had gone out of it. Woe to the church when 
it gets to be their house and is God's house no longer because the 
Spirit has left it. He then uttered what seems to be a prophecy 
of the final restoration of the Jews — "Ye shall not see me hence- 
forth. ' ' After his crucifixion and ascension into heaven they could 
not see him but they should be spiritually restored. This certainly 
looks like a prophecy of the future restoration of the Jews. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 
HOLINESS THE PREPARATION TO MEET JESUS. 

The Connection with Chapter XXIII. Vs. 38. The Three Ques- 
tions. Vs. 3-41. This Whole Discourse Was Given to Impress 
the Importance of Possessing Holiness — the Fitness to Meet 
Jesus. Vs. 42-51. 

The Second Advent of Christ is one of the most mysterious 
doctrines in the word of God. There has been no doctrine con- 
cerning which there has been more erroneous interpretation. Many 
of the errors on this subject are too well known to need any men- 
tion. Yet this doctrine was given as a comfort and admonition 
to the church and should be allowed to be so. This and the fol 
lowing chapter (XXV) make one discourse given by Jesus in 
answer to three questions asked him by his disciples. Before 
taking up the chapter in the order in which it was spoken, we 
wish to notice that this discourse was not given to answer their 
curiosity as to the time of his coming but to put them and all 
other disciples in readiness for his coming. Verse 44 is the key 
to the whole discourse: "THEBEFOBE BE YE ALSO BEADY: 
FOB IN SUCH AN HOUB AS YE THINK NOT THE SON OF 
MAN COMETH." The object then of this discourse of Jesus is 
to impress on the disciples of all ages the necessity of having 
that ' ' holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. ' ' One 
of the great reasons given in the Bible for seeking to be holy 
is to be ready to meet Jesus. 

THE CONNECTION WITH CHAPTEB 23:38. 

1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple : and his 
disciples came to Mm for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 

2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I 
say unto you, There shall not he left here one stone upon another, 
that shall not he thrown down. 

325 



326 COMMBNTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

The connection is immediate. Jesus said (Ch. 23:38), "Be 
hold your house is left unto you desolate, ' ' referring to the temple 
which was now no longer God's house, but their house, as the 
divine glory had departed. The first verse of this chapter there- 
fore is very significant when it says, "And Jesus went out and 
departed from the temple." He could stay in such an house no 
longer. It is a sad day when God takes his departure from a 
house or a people or a heart, as Jesus did here. 

The disciples now began to point out the magnificence of the 
temple (Vs. 1), that he had declared desolate. It was one of the 
most beautiful buildings that was ever erected in the history of 
the world, but when God went out, what did it amount to! 
There has to be something more than architectural magnificence to 
make any temple worthy to be a worshipping place of God. 
This temple had been finished and beautified by Herod, the King, 
at great expense. It covered nineteen acres. It was forty-six years 
in building. No wonder the disciples were amazed when Jesus 
began to speak of its desolation and ruin. Jesus replied, "See 
ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you there shall not be 
left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." 
As they came to the Mount of Olives, opposite the city, his dis- 
ciples (Mark says they were Peter, James, John and Andrew) 
asked him three questions. It was a startling prophecy and 
seemed almost impossible of fulfillment. But it was fulfilled when 
the Eomans captured the city and actually threw down all the 
stones of this great temple and also ploughed up the ground on 
which it stood, only a few years after his crucifixion. Titus, the 
Eoman general tried to save it but so infuriated were the Eoman 
soldiers that they could not be restrained. 

THE THEEE QUESTIONS. Vs. 3-41. 

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came 
unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things ibe? and 
what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no 
man deceive you. 

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ ; and 
shall deceive many. 

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars : see that ye be 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 327 

not troubled : for all these things must come to pass, but the end is 
not yet. 

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against 
kingdom : and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earth- 
quakes, in divers places. 

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you : 
and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, 
and shall hate one another. 

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall 
wax cold. 

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be 
saved. 

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the 
world for a witness unto all nations ; and then shall the end come. 

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, 
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso 
readeth, let him understand:) 

16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains : 

17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any 
thing out of his house : 

18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his 
clothes. 

19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give 
suck in those days ! 

20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on 
the sabbath day : 

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the 
beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no 
flesh be saved : but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or 
there ; believe it not. 

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and 
shall shew great signs and wonders ; insomuch that, if it were 
possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 

25 Behold, I have told you before. 

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the 
desert ; go not forth : behold, he is in the secret chambers ; believe it 
not. 

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even 
unto the west ; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 

28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gath- 
ered together. 

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun 
be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars 



328 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken : 

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven : 
and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see 
the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great 
glory. 

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, 
and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from 
one end of heaven to the other. 

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree ; When his branch is yet 
tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh : 

33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it 
is near, even at the doors. 

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all 
these things be fulfilled. 

35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not 
pass away. 

36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the 
angels of heaven, but my Father only. 

37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the 
Son of man be. 

38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eat- 
ing and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day 
that Noe entered into the ark, 

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away ; 
so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 

40 Then shall two be in the field ; the one shall be taken, and the 
other left. 

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill ; the one shall be 
taken, and the other left. 

The Three Questions. 1. "When shall these things be?" 
When shall the temple be so utterly destroyed? 2. "What shall 
be the sign of thy coming?" 3. "And of the end of the world?" 
Many theories have been invented from this chapter which have not 
held themselves to an interpretation of these three questions. The 
reply of Jesus was directly to these three questions and if we 
keep this in mind we shall be able to comprehend his meaning, 
which so many have failed to do. Notice the disciples evidently 
thought these three events were to take place all at the same 
time. They seemed to think that the destruction of the temple 
and the coming of Jesus and the end of the world would occur 
all at the same time. 

The Three Answers (Vs. 3-41). Jesus does not so much answer 
the three questions separately in order, as he gives light here, so 






ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 329 

that we may not confound the three events — the destruction of 
Jerusalem, the second coming of Jesus and the end of the world. 
He says first of all, ' ' Take heed that no man deceive you. " The 
point on which they were liable to be deceived was in confounding 
these three events, especially the destruction of Jerusalem and the 
Second Advent. Men are bewildered and deceived today and are 
confounding the three. The coming of Jesus is to be as real as 
the destruction of Jerusalem was. They are not the same. There 
is a visible personal appearing of Jesus that will take place at 
the end of the age, in which we live. Consequently in verses 4-6 
he teaches them not to confound the destruction of Jerusalem with 
his second advent as they were likely to do, as their question shows. 
They would see false Messiahs arise in their day who would deceive 
many. They would hear of wars and rumors of wars. These would 
only be signs of the coming destruction of Jerusalem, as they 
saw the armies of the Eomans gathering against that city, but it 
was not a sign of the nearness of the end of the world or age. 
He then goes on to describe, more particularly, the awful commo- 
tions that would precede the destruction of Jerusalem and tells 
them that they are to be distinguished from the evangelization of 
the world which would take place previous to the end of the world 
(Vs. 7-14). The wars and rumors of wars and false Christs 
were signs of the nearness of the destruction of Jerusalem. The 
evangelization of the world would be the sign of his second com- 
ing. He then shows the persecutions that the disciples must pass 
through before the Jews lost their country and standing as a 
nation, and all the tribulations that they should meet, but assures 
them that they that endure to the end, should be saved. He means 
they would be saved in the Judgment. Every man's life is his 
day of probation, and death will not change his character. Ef 
he endures to the end he will be saved, in that great day. Death 
is the same to him as far as his final destiny is concerned as 
if he were alive at the coming of Jesus for He will resurrect us 
then from the grave. The thing is to be ready all the time for 
the coming of the Son of Man. The distress that came before the 
coming judgment upon Jerusalem was a picture of the tribulation, 
the wars and commotions in the world before the coming of Jesus. 
They have been occuring more or less now for nearly two thousand 



330 COMMENTAEY ON THE GOSPEL 

years. Verse 14 shows that what he speaks of here is not of the 
final coming, but of the first question, "When shall these things 
be," for he states that he is not coming at the destruction of 
Jerusalem by saying, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be 
preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations and 
then shall the end come." By this he separated the two events 
(the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Advent), which 
the disciples thought were to be synchronous. He does not say 
that the world will be converted but that it will be evangelized. 
All men will have the light and must take their own responsibility 
about accepting it. 

He goes on next to describe the trials and persecutions that 
will take place at the siege of Jerusalem by the Eomans and the 
coming of the false Messiahs and then shows the contrast between 
these false Messiahs and his own coming (Eead verses 15-27). So 
he goes on to give them first of all, a sign that they might know 
as Christians when to flee from the city. It was to be when they 
saw the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place. 
The Eevised Version in the margin renders it "a holy place." 
It therefore does not necessarily refer to the Holy of Holies. 
Commentators think this refers to the Eoman armies coming up 
against Jerusalem, but as Abbott remarks the Eoman soldiers had 
often before this been in Jerusalem. Some think it has reference 
to the fanatical Zealots, who broke into the sacred precincts of 
the temple. When they saw it, the Christians, we are told fled to 
Pella beyond Jordan remembering the sign given by the Lord 
and were saved, while the city was taken and thousands of Jews 
were butchered in cold blood. Secular history says that not one 
of the Christians were slain in the capture of the city. We see 
here our Lord in quoting from the book of Daniel gives his author- 
ity for its inspiration. Daniel had prophesied this very thing 
(Dan. 9:27; 11-31; 12:11). 

"Whoso readeth let him understand." This sentence is sup- 
posed by the commentators to be added by Matthew himself, and 
not spoken by Jesus. If so it shows that Matthew wrote it very 
soon after Jesus spoke it, as he is bidding the Christians take heed 
to this warning and flee when Jerusalem is beseiged and the sign 
appears in the desecration of the holy place. They were to flee 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 332 

immediately. The man on the house top was not even to come 
down into the house to take anything; the man in the field was 
not to turn back to get his clothes. Jewish Christian mothers 
would have a trying time and if it were a season of bad weather 
there would be much suffering. If the flight were in the winter 
it would be a time of severe suffering. If it were on the Sabbath 
day they might be hindered by the gates of the city being shut. 
It would be a time of tribulation such as the world never saw. 
Certainly this is not exaggeration when we remember that Josephus 
says that 1,100,000 Jews perished in the destruction of Jerusalem 
and 97,000 were captured. There were so many of those, captured 
by the Eomans, crucified that ' ' room was wanted for their crosses, 
and crosses for their bodies." Eeading Josephus and then this 
account of Jesus we would almost think they were written or 
spoken by the same person. If those days had not been shortened, 
none of the Jews would have been saved alive ; but for the sake of 
the Christians, God overruled in order that there might be those 
who should perpetuate the Gospel for the ages to come. The 
lesson he inculcates here is that when they saw all this desola- 
tion they were not to think that this was the end of the world 
and his coming, which they had imagined would take place at 
the same time; for false Christs would rise up at this time of 
the tribulation and claim great things. But the true coming of 
the Son of Man would be different. When He comes it will be in 
a different manner from that of the false Christs. They would 
come on earth, but he will come from heaven like the lightning, 
flashing through the firmament. This ought to be proof enough 
when pretenders come, as they have, and deceive some, even in our 
day. The real Christ will come in the clouds of heaven. 

He now still further shows them the difference between the 
events of the destruction of Jerusalem and his own advent (Vs. 
27-31). He says first: "For wheresoever the carcase is, there will 
the eagles be gathered together." The Eevised Version omits the 
word "for." "The metaphor is one employed in the Old Testa- 
ment, where the eagle represents the bird of prey, or foreign armies 
called by God to execute his judgment upon a corrupt nation 
(Deut. 28:49; Hosea 8:1; Habbakuk 1:8). Christ's language 
here, then, is equivalent to this: Judgment will not be inflicted 



332 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

upon Jerusalem alone; that will not be the end; wherever there is 
corruption, there will be inflicted the judgments of God. This 
truth is illustrated in the destruction of Jerusalem, but not less 
surely in the overthrow of Greece and Home, the decay of 
Spain, in the desolation visited upon France, and in our own civil 
war" (Abbott). It shows on the whole the subjection of the 
Jewish nation and the long time of its tribulation, still going on. 
After this time of world travail and not at the seige of Jerusalem 
will come the end of the age with the sign of the Son of Man 
(which the disciples had inquired concerning) in the heavens. 
Then he shall send forth his angels and gather his elect from 
the four quarters of the earth, while there will be mourning on the 
part of the tribes of the earth. How long the time of the tribu- 
lation spoken of here is to be, no one knows for ' ' one day with the 
Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day." 
A sweep of centuries is contained in these verses. 

Contrast between the two events (destruction of Jerusalem and 
the end of the world) as regards calculating the time of each event 
(Vs. 32-41). He shows in verses 32-35 that the signs of the 
approaching destruction of Jerusalem will be a gradual unfolding, 
like the unfolding life of the fig tree in the Spring time, while 
(Vs. 36-41) the end of the world will be sudden like the sudden 
coming of the deluge in the times of Noah. If this distinction 
between the two events is kept in mind, we shall escape much of 
the confusion that has surrounded this chapter. Consequently he 
says concerning the destruction of Jerusalem: ''This generation 
shall not pass away until all these things be fulfilled. ' ' This is a 
repetition of what he had said in chapter 23:36 concerning the 
punishment that was to come on the Jews. He said there, "All 
these things shall come upon this generation. ' ' Notice that he says 
"till all these things shall be fulfilled." "These things" here 
refer to the same "these things" of which the disciples had asked 
him in verse 3: that is, the things he had just been speaking 
of — throwing down the great stones of the temple in the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem. 

"But of that day and hour knoweth no man." Having told 
them of the signs of these things (the signs preceding the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem) he now speaks in contrast, of the end of the 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 333 

world and says, ' but. ' ' * This phrase ' that day ' when used in the 
absolute sense, as here, generally refers to the day of judgment, 
the great day, the consummation of all others. See for examples 
Matt. 7:22; Luke 10:12; 1 Thess. 5:4; 2 Tim. 1:12, 18; 4:8. So 
the book of revelation is called the Bible, i. e., The Book, or the 
Scriptures, i. e., The Writings. Here the context as well as the 
general New Testament usage forbids the idea of any other ref- 
erence than to the day of Judgment, when heaven and earth shall 
pass away" (Abbott). While they might calculate quite certainly 
as to the destruction of Jerusalem, the day and hour of the com- 
ing of the end of the world is not revealed even to the angels 
of heaven, nor to Jesus himself. But did not Jesus know? He 
says not. Mark says he said that not even the Son of Man knew 
it. Since we cannot understand the mystical union of the two 
natures of Christ, it is idle for us to speculate in what sense 
the end of the world was unknown to him. Did he, when he took 
humanity upon him and humbled himself, give up his foreknowl- 
edge? He does not say it is unknown to him as the "Son of 
God." Did it refer to his office as "Son of Man" and in that 
sense, as Son of man, he did not know? Did he mean that the 
highest and best man that ever lived, in his humanity did not 
know? As the mystery of his nature is unknown to us, all we 
can do is to accept this as among the many mysteries that are 
too far above our finite minds. But one thing is sure and that is, 
this is enough to make it clear that those people who set the 
time of the end of the world and His coming are presumptuous in 
doing this thing which the Son of Man himself did not know 
and which they assume to know more about than he did. 

Some people set a day. Others go to the other extreme and put 
it off for thousands of years. Each are inconsistent. If the 
Lord had intended for us to know he would certainly have in- 
formed us. He does not wish us to know but he wants it so 
hid from us that we shall be ready all the time for his coming. 
1 1 As it was in the days of Noe. ' ' Noe is the Greek form for Noah. 
As the destruction of Jerusalem might be known by the gradual 
signs like the unfolding of the fig tree, on the other hand the 
coming of the Son of Man would be as sudden, as the coming 
of the Flood. The Flood came so sudden that the people were 



334 COMMENTABY ON THE GOSPEL 

eating and drinking and feasting until the day it came ' ' and knew 
not until the Flood came and took them all away. ' ' The coming of 
the Son of Man would be in the same sudden manner. There 
is to be a separation in that day. Those who have holiness, the 
wedding garment are to be taken and the others left. Two would 
be in the field, one would be taken and the other left. What 
a surprise that will be, to see one a few minutes before, and then 
miss that companion. The man who is left will look around and 
say, "What has become of my companion, he has disappeared 
suddenly?' > 

THIS WHOLE DISCOTJKSE WAS GIVEN TO IMPEESS ON US 

THE IMPOETANCE OF POSSESSING HOLINESS— 

THE FITNESS TO MEET JESUS. Vs. 42-51. 

42 Watch therefore : for ye know not what hour your Lord 
doth come. 

43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known 
in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and 
would not have suffered his house to he broken up. 

44 Therefore he ye also ready : for in such an hour as ye think 
not the Son of man cometh. 

45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath 
made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 

46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall 
find so doing. 

47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all 
his goods. 

48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord 
delayeth his coming; 

49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and 
drink with the drunken ; 

50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh 
not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 

51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with 
the hypocrites : there shall he weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

It was not given to tell people when the end of the world is to 
be. It was not given to satisfy curiosity of any kind. How have 
they missed the whole point, who have so interpreted this chapter ! 
It is given to impress on us the duty of being always ready. 
To be always possessed of that "holiness without which no man 
shall see the Lord." The uncertainty of his coming is a reason 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 335 

why we should always have this fitness. He now gives two par- 
ables to enforce this great lesson of the chapter. The parable of 
the householder (Vs. 42-44). Because of the uncertainty of the 
coming of the Lord we are to be always in readiness. The watch- 
ing means to be in a constant state of readiness. This does 
not mean to be holy only when Ave come to die (some say that is 
the only time we can be holy in this world). This text says 
be ready all the time. He says: "If the good man of the house 
had known what hour the thief would come he would have watched 
and not suffered his house to be broken up. ' ' The Eevised Version 
has it ' ' broken through. ' ' The Jewish uight was divided into three 
watches — the first from sunset to 10 P. M. ; the second from 10 
P. M. until 2 A. M.; the third from 2 A. M. until sunrise. The 
coming of Jesus is here likened to that of a thief because it will 
be unexpected. He will come when most of the world are not ex- 
pecting Him. His coming will rob men of their earthly treasures. 
' ' Therefore be ye also ready : for in such an hour as ye think not 
the Son of Man cometh. > ' Notice, he does say get ready, but BE 
ready. The man who would need to get ready if Jesus should come 
today is not ready. This is the great lesson of the whole chapter. 
It shows by the word ' ' therefore ' ' that being ready is the watch- 
ing required. This does not mean setting the time, or all the time 
gazing into the heavens to see if he is coming, but it means being 
holy all the time. 

The parable of the faithful servant (Vs. 45-51). This refers to 
the ministry and those who have in any way the charge of souls — 
preachers, teachers, etc. This shows the solemn responsibility of 
those who minister in sacred things. We must declare the whole 
counsel of God. The object God has in sending the ministry into 
the world is to feed the people. What a solemn account those 
preachers and teachers must give who starve the flock. So it is 
not only our duty to be holy but to be helpers of others. How can 
he put each one of us over all his goods? "That promotion shall 
not be like earthly promotion, wherein the eminence of one excludes 
that of another — but rather like the diffusion of love, in which the 
more each has, the more there is for all" (Alford). It will be 
noticed that the New Testament nowhere commands us to be pre- 
pared for death but always insists that we be prepared for the 



336 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

coming of the Son of Man. Death is a very trivial thing in the 
eyes of the New Testament writers. If a man has holiness he is 
ready for anything. If he is ready to meet Jesus, death is noth- 
ing to be feared. "But and if that evil servant shall say in his 
heart, My Lord delayeth his coming. ' ' This has been the unbelief 
of thousands. They practically deny the doctrine of the Second 
Coming of Jesus. Some say it only means death. But the Bible 
speaks of the personal, literal coming of the Son of Man in the 
clouds of heaven. "And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, 
and to eat and drink with the drunken," Here he refers to two 
sins quite common in church history, in the case of those forms 
of eeclesiasticism that have failed to remember their responsibility 
to God in the matter of their ministration to the church and its 
government. They have become oppressive to the flock and full 
of self indulgence. This has always been the case when the 
church has become a dead eeclesiasticism. "In different ages of 
the world popes and prelates have tyrannized over their fellows, 
as if they were never to be called by the Lord to account for 
their doings. Because sentence was not speedily executed by the 
immediate coming of the Son of Man, they set themselves to do 
all manner of evil" (Whedon). This also teaches that ecclesiastics 
are only to consider themselves fellow servants with the flock and 
not lords over God's heritage. It will be noticed that usually 
a disbelief in the coming of Jesus is attended with sin. Those who 
sincerely desire to be holy delight in his coming. They look for 
it, and long to see Him. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

THE NECESSITY OF HOLINESS IN VIEW OF THE 
JUDGMENT. 

A Parable of Those Who Have Lost the Experience of Purity. Vs. 
1-13. A Parable of Those Who Have Lost the Experience of 
Justification. Vs. 14-30. The Final Separation at the Judg- 
ment Will be Based Upon the Daily Practical Carrying Out of 
Holiness. Vs. 31-46. 

A PARABLE OF THOSE WHO HAVE LOST THE EX- 
PERIENCE OF PURITY. Vs. 1-13. 

1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, 
which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 

2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 

3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with 
them : 

4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 

5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 

6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom 
cometh ; go ye out to meet him. 

7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 

8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil ; for our 
lamps are gone out. 

9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough 
for us and you : but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for 
yourselves. 

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came ; and they 
that were ready went in with him to the marriage : and the door was 
shut. 

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, 
open to us. 

12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you 
not. 

13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour 
wherein the Son of man cometh. 

337 



338 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

We must keep in mind that this chapter is a continuation of 
the address of Jesus, begun in the former chapter, and that it is 
a part of his reply as to the date of the destruction of Jerusalem 
and the end of the world, and the sign of his coming. By the 
two parables of the Ten Virgins and The Talents, he shows that 
he did not intend for them to understand that he was to come 
immediately. The bridegroom "tarried" in the parable of the 
Ten Virgins. The Master of the house, in the parable of The 
Talents, came "after a long time." It shows that the destruction 
of Jerusalem and the Second Advent are two entirely different 
events. Jesus says therefore, "then" in the first verse. He 
means at the Judgment as referred to in the previous chapter. 
By the five foolish virgins he denotes a class of people who will 
come up to the Judgment unprepared, who were once prepared, 
for they say "our lamps are gone out." These lamps were once 
burning or they could not have gone out. It is useless for those 
commentators who teach that if a person is once saved he cannot 
be lost, to say here that they only "seemed" to have no light. 
The record says they had none and it says they once did have oil- 
grace — in their lamps. To say that they were never regenerated 
is to miss the whole point of the parable, for he is talking about 
Christians and not about the world in general. The latter are 
spoken of in verses 31-46. The parable of the ten virgins is mean- 
ingless if it does not teach the fact that grace may be lost. No- 
tice too, that verse 1 says this is a parable of "the kingdom of 
heaven," that is the church, and not of the world in general. 
The latter is depicted in verses 31-46. 

It will be noted still further that these were virgins. The 
word is symbolical of purity in the Scriptures and elsewhere. 
Since it stands for purity, the souls here mentioned are those who 
are pure in heart and have that "holiness without which no man 
shall see the Lord." It shows therefore that purity may be lost 
and that many will be lost, who were once pure in heart. There 
are those who say that they cannot see how one, who has been 
made holy can fall from that experience. In reply we say that 
Adam was certainly made holy in the beginning and fell as cer- 
tainly from that experience. When it can be explained how Adam 
could lose his experience, we can explain how a holy soul today 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 339 

may fall away. If it was actual in Adam's experience it may 
be so with any one else in our day. 

Jesus uses one of the wedding customs of that day which is 
still in vogue in Eastern countries. The betrothal was some 
time, usually a year before the wedding. When the day for the 
wedding came the bridegroom set out from his house to go after 
the bride, to bring her home, accompanied by his friends. She, 
arrayed in bridal robes awaited him with her maidens. They 
then marched through the streets together, both companies making 
quite a procession. Our lesson has to do with the bride and her 
maidens, who are awaiting the bridegroom. Suddenly he comes 
at midnight — the time when most of the world are sleeping. Jesus 
will come suddenly when most of mankind will not be expecting 
him, and when many in his church will be asleep with the others, 
and without the oil necessary to make their lamps burn. Notice, 
it is not a question of the coming of death, but of the Second 
Advent of Jesus. The New Testament never tells us to prepare 
for death, but for the coming of the Lord which shall precede 
the Judgment. Death is only incidental. If we die prepared for 
the coming of Jesus we shall be all right whether he comes a 
thousand ages hence or not. If we are alive and prepared every 
day it makes no difference whether He or death takes us from 
this world. 

The light of their lamps represents holiness — the great prepara- 
tion for the Judgment. We can find no other preparation spoken 
of in the Bible except holiness. The Bible does not tell us 
to be converted in order to meet him. It tells us to be born 
again that we may see the kingdom of heaven. That is, we can 
not see spirituality and the kingdom of God which is righteousness 
and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost unless we are born again. 
But we may be born again and refuse to go on to entire holiness 
and fail to see the King himself. Abbott says : l ' To the mar- 
riage feast (heaven), none are admitted without light (holiness), 
which can be sustained only by oil (divine grace)" (Eph. 5:5; 
Heb. 12:14). There are all sorts of methods by which virgin 
souls have been beguiled from their purity, but perhaps they 
may all be summed up in one — they failed in watchfulness. 

In vain they cried to others to give them of their oil. No 



340 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

man has any grace to spare. He will need all he has. The saints 
either on earth or in heaven cannot help us. We cannot be ad- 
mitted on the experience of others, whether father or mother. 
The requisite is " holiness without which no man shall see the 
Lord." 

Jesus shows the futility of trying to get right after he comes. 
The Bible nowhere teaches a second probation. They came and 
found the door shut. The door stands open now but the time will 
come when it will be forever shut. Now is the day of salvation. 

A PARABLE OF THOSE WHO HAVE LOST THE EX- 
PERIENCE OF JUSTIFICATION. Vs. 14-30. 

14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far 
country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his 
goods. 

15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to an- 
other one ; to every man according to his several ability ; and straight- 
way took his journey. 

16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded 
with the same, and made them other five talents. 

17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other 
two. 

18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, 
and hid his lord's money. 

19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reck- 
oneth with them. 

20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought 
other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents : 
behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 

21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful 
servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee 
ruler over many things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 

22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, 
thou deliveredst unto me two talents : behold, I have gained two other 
talents beside them. 

23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant ; 
thou hast been faithfvl over a few things, I will make thee ruler over 
many things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 

24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, 
Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou 
hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 

25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth : 
lo, there thou hast that is thine. 

26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and sloth- 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 341 

ful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather 
where I have not strawed : 

27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the ex- 
changers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own 
with usury. 

28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him 
which hath ten talents. 

29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have 
abundance : but from him that hath not shall be taken away even 
that which he hath. 

30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness : 
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

We have here a parable which shows the responsibility of 
every servant of God in fulfilling the trust God has given him. 
The parable of the virgins shows that we are to watch lest we 
allow the grace of purity to die out of our hearts, and this parable 
shows how every Christian may fail to fulfill the trust God has 
given us. In the one we are to watch against the beginnings of 
apostasy. In the other we are to watch lest we neglect or mis- 
imptove our opportunities for service. The one is an exhortation 
to keep fast hold of the grace already given. The other is an 
admonition to improve all the opportunities which God has given 
us for serving him. The man who fails to be obedient to his 
light will lose his religion. We do not see where those people 
get their authority who say that a man, who has once been con- 
verted cannot be lost, when the Master says here that these were 
his own servants — not outside sinners, and he also says, "Cast 
ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness. ' ' People will 
subvert Scripture to sustain a theory. This then, is a parable of 
the judgment of God on his church at the coming of Jesus. 

There has been much misapprehension as to what is here meant 
by talents. The common interpretation that it means our abilities 
is a mistake for it says here that he gave them talents ' ' according 
to their several ability. " " Talents ' ' means not our abilities, 
therefore, but the station which we occupy and the trust we have 
given us in this probationary life. It means the plan that God 
has given us to carry out. God has a distinct plan for every man. 
It is our duty to see what His plan is. The providential place 
where God has put us, together with the influence we exert on 
those around us is our talent. The silver talent among the Jews 
was a piece of money. It varied in value from $1,500 to $2,250, 
while the gold talent was worth as high as $55,000. 



842 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

This servant was not condemned for misuse but for disuse of 
his opportunities in life. He was not censured for not obtaining 
great profit, but for idleness. This is a condemnation of idleness. 
Thousands dry up in their experience because they do nothing for 
God and humanity in the place where God puts them. Notice 
again, he says in verse 19, " After a long time the Lord of those 
servants cometh. " This shows that he was teaching them that 
he would not come again for a long time. 

We learn, too, from this parable that the position in which God 
has placed us is adapted to our ability. He knows where we be- 
long. Let us not sigh then for great places and fret because others 
are put above us. If God wanted us in a larger place he would put 
us there and no one could prevent it. 

Notice again, those who are declaring that their Lord is a 
hard master: religion is so hard: and that they "grovel here be- 
low" and are "prone to wander," are those who have been idle 
and dilatory in their religion. These are the people who tell the 
unconverted that religion is a hard thing, and therefore the Lord 
is a hard master. To sum up, then, the parable of the talents: 
those are condemned who will not discharge the trust God has laid 
upon them, because they are not in an exalted place where they 
can shine to their own credit. They will not do anything because 
their talent is so small. It is our business not to do great things 
but to be faithful in the sphere in which God has put us. 

Fidelity is the great requirement. The Lord does not say, 
"Well done, good and successful servant," but "Well done, good 
and faithful servant. ' ' We are to be judged, not for the amount 
we accomplish, but for the fidelity with which we discharge our 
trust. 

The word usury in verse 27 should be rendered interest. In 
the days when the Bible was translated it meant only lawful inter- 
est. It has come to mean in our days unlawful interest. 

THE FINAL SEPARATION AT THE JUDGMENT WILL BE 

BASED UPON THE DAILY PRACTICAL CARRYING 

OUT OF HOLINESS. Vs. 31-46. 

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy 
angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory : 

32 And before h'<m shall he gathered all nations : and he shall 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 343 

separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep 
from the goats : 

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats 
on the left. 

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, 
ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from 
the foundation of the world : 

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat : I was thirsty, 
and ye gave me drink : I was a stranger, and ye took me in : 

36 Naked and ye clothed me : I was sick, and ye visited me : I 
was in prison, and ye came unto me. 

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw 
we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and 
clothed thee? 

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say 
unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these 
my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart 
from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and 
his angels : 

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat : I was thirsty, 
and ye gave me no drink : 

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in : naked, and ye clothed 
me not : sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we 
thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in 
prison, and did not minister unto thee? 

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, 
Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not 
to me. 

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment : but the 
righteous into life eternal. 

As holiness is the essential without which no man shall see the 
Lord, and as Jesus tells us here that we shall be judged accord- 
ing as we have ministered to the sick, poor and oppressed in his 
name, and for his sake, it follows that our care for God's poor 
and those oppressed for righteousness' sake, is a practical proof 
that we are possessed of holiness. True holiness makes us exceed- 
ingly kind and full of benevolence and love for all true followers 
of Jesus. Holiness is exemplified in the character of the model of 
holiness, Jesus Christ, who went about doing good and alleviating 
distress. "He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from 



344 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of 
good works ! ' ' Notice, it is not the profession of holiness but the 
holiness that blossoms out into works of Christian charity. We 
say Christian charity and this means more than running an alms 
house or giving cold victuals. He means, of course, to do good 
unto all men, "but especially to those who are of the household 
of faith" (Gal. 6:10). This cuts off the unsaved world, for they 
can not help the unfortunate in the name of a disciple. 

' l When the Son of Man shall come in his glory. ' ' This means 
that his coming will be followed immediately by the General Judg- 
ment. All nations will be gathered before him; that is, all the 
people of all nations will be gathered before him. He does not 
mean that he will judge them as nations. He judges nations as 
such in this world. They cease to be nations in the future world, 
as organic bodies. It is to be a judgment of individuals. Some 
have thought that the nations here refers to the Gentiles alone. 
But the term is not always so used in the Bible. "It is sometimes 
used of the Jews (Luke 7:5; John 11:48, 50; Acts 10:22), an! 
sometimes includes them with the Gentiles (Matt. 28:19; Luke 
24:47), and it is certainly therefore capable of the meaning which 
our English version here gives it. And this meaning appears 
better to accord with the description elsewhere given of the last 
Judgment (Eccles. 12:14; 2 Cor. 5:10; Eev. 20:12, 13)." (Ab- 
bott.) 

The despised Son of Mary has a glory in which he is to come, 
and a throne of glory in which he is to sit. This day of Judgment 
is to be a day of separation on the basis of character. Men in 
their natures are unclean like the filthy goat, or clean like the 
sheep. Character is the separation line which is determined in 
this life before a man gets to the Judgment. The goats from 
their nature could not do any works of kindness from the love of 
Christ as a motive. They could not visit the sick, or clothe the 
naked or feed the hungry for His sake. No man can perform 
real Christian philanthropy without he has in him the love of God. 
All sorts of benevolence that have not proceeded from real piety 
of heart — holiness of heart — in some degree, are not Christian 
benevolence. They are only imitation. It will be seen by this 
that there will be only two classes in the Judgment, and their char- 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 345 

aeters are defined and admit then of no change. No chance for 
a future probation, for the Judgment is pronounced at once at 
the coming of the Son of Man. There is a real separation of the 
two classes on earth, but the sentence is not pronounced until the 
Judgment, although the goat nature, or the sheep nature is fixed 
on earth. No purgatory nor second probation here. He says to 
the righteous, ' ' Come. ' ' He said ' ' Come ' ' while we were on earth 
"and receive salvation." In the Judgment he will say, "Come 
and receive glory. ' ' He says, ' ' inherit. ' ' The kingdom of heaven 
is an inheritance, not something won by our goodness or good 
works. It is an inheritance which those will obtain who were born 
into the family through regeneration and then received their title, 
and after that some where were sanctified wholly and thus re- 
ceived their fitness for the inheritance. He calls them "Blessed." 
They had already received the "fulness of the blessing of the 
Gospel of Christ. " It is only those who have been blessed upon 
earth that will be fit for heaven. The blessing gives the fitness. 

"For I was an hungered." He now gives the reason why these 
shall inherit the kingdom. A careful reading of the Scripture on 
this point will show that God has put an especial blessing on 
those who care for the poor for Jesus' sake. Some have looked at 
this passage in a superficial manner and have thought that it meant 
simply giving to the poor. But a closer look will discover that it 
is more than that. It means to go to and visit the poor and sick 
in the name of Jesus. It takes a man who has salvation to go to, 
and visit the distressed for Jesus' sake. 

' l Depart from me ye cursed. ' ' Notice the contrast. In verse 
34 he says, ' ' Ye blessed of my Father. ' ' Here he does not say, 
"Ye cursed of my Father" but "Ye cursed." The impenitent 
sinner has cursed himself. God did not do it. They are to depart 
into everlasting fire. Men have tried in all ages to put out this 
everlasting fire by arguments and reasonings, but it burns on, and 
no man can put it out. It was "prepared for the devil and his 
angels. ' ' It was never prepared for men, but since men choose 
the sinful things that are of the devil, they must share with the 
devil in their fate. There is no other place for them, as there are 
but two places or conditions. Those on the left hand did not have 
to do anything oppressive to the poor and sick and imprisoned, 



346 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

but simply to neglect them in order to be damned. It will be no- 
ticed that in verse 46 are the two phrases, " Everlasting fire" 
and i ' eternal life. ' ' The Greek word translated everlasting is the 
same in both instances and should have been so rendered. The 
Eevised Version has it correctly thus, ''Eternal punishment," 
11 eternal life." The Greek word rendered " eternal" is com- 
pounded of two words and means "ever being." 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

HOLINESS MEETS WITH ALL SORTS OF TREATMENT, 
FROM FRIENDS AND FOES. 

Wicked Ecclesiasticism Has Always Been a Bitter Foe to Holiness. 
Vs. 1-5. At the Same Time it Has Friends Among the Lowly. 
Vs. 6-13. Holiness is Sometimes Betrayed by its Professed 
Friends. Vs. 14-16. The Feast of Holy Fellowship with Jesus. 
Vs. 17-30. Deceitfulness of the Unsanctified Heart. Vs. 31- 
35. Holiness Does Not Bring Exemption from Sorrow. Vs. 
86-46. Holiness Can Never be Crucified by the World Unless 
its Professed Followers Betray it. Vs. 47-50. Holiness Does 
Depend on Carnal Weapons for its Defence. Vs. 51-56. Holi- 
ness Fighters Use Wicked Methods. Vs. 57-68. Inbred Sin 
Tempts Christians to be Cowardly. Vs. 69-75. 

WICKED ECCLESIASTICISM HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BIT- 
TER FOE TO HOLINESS. Vs. 1-5. 

1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, 
he said unto his disciples, 

2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and 
the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. 

3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and 
the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was 
called Caiaphas, 

4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill 
him. 

5 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar 
among the people. 

We must keep in mind that this is at the close of the address 
of Jesus, which was delivered on the Mt. of Olives and which is 
recorded in chapters twenty-four and twenty-five. This discourse 
was given to his disciples only, and was concerning the destruction 
of Jerusalem and the end of the world. He had ended his testi- 

347 



348 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

mony against the wicked religious leaders. The seventy weeks 
prophesied by Daniel were completed. (Dan. 9:24-26.) 

He now states that the Passover, due in two days, was to be 
not only the symbol of his sufferings and death, but the actual 
time when he was to be offered up for the sins of the world, just 
as the paschal lamb had been offered a sacrifice for the deliver- 
ance of the Hebrew first born. His statement, here given before 
the passover occurred, shows that his sacrifice was voluntary. He 
finished his testimony before his sacrifice. A man is immortal 
until his work is done. He gave himself a willing sacrifice. His 
enemies could never had slain him had He not permitted it. He 
gave himself a willing offering. He was not taken by surprise. 
He, the great pattern of holiness, set his followers the example. 
True holiness, like Jesus, is willing to live and die for the lost 
world. Holy people, like Jesus, offer themselves for a lost world. 
Holy people are not sacrifices in the sense that their sufferings will 
have any merit of themselves to purchase salvation for men, but 
they are vicarious in the sense that they give themselves as Jesus 
did in order to bring men to God that He may save them. They 
have the spirit of self sacrifice for others, as Jesus did. No man 
has the experience of holiness who is devoid of this spirit. Holi- 
ness of heart means the death of selfishness. 

In contrast we must not fail to recognize the spirit of the 
wicked ecclesiasticism of the day. While he is willing to offer 
himself for the world, they are thirsting and plotting for his 
blood. The bitterest foes of all spiritual movements in the church, 
especially of holiness, have been wicked ecclesiastics. The voice 
of church history teaches it. The scribes and Pharisees, the bloody 
promotors of the Inquisition, the curates who led the mobs of 
Wesley's day against him and his co-adjutors, and the opposers 
of Finney, and the early Methodists of this country were ecclesi- 
astics. Why were they so malignant towards Jesus? Because he 
had the affection of the common people, whom they wished to 
rule. It was a matter of jealousy on their part. It is today. 

They did not plan an open attack. It must be done by strat- 
agem, for they feared the people. It is astonishing how holiness 
has prospered in the world in spite of the fact that so many of 
the leaders have been against it. This shows its divinity. Any 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 349 

other cause would have perished from the earth. God is on the 
side of holiness in spite of the plottings of wicked men. But holi- 
ness can not be exterminated from the earth. So they plot to take 
him, not during any of the days of the Passover season, at least 
not openly or in the day time, but by stealth. 

AT THE SAME TIME IT HAS FRIENDS AMONG THE 
LOWLY. Vs. 6-13. 

6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the 
leper, 

7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very 
precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 

8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To 
what purpose is this waste? 

9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given 
to the poor. 

10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble 
ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 

11 For ye have the poor always with you ; but me ye have not 
always. 

12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she 
did it for my burial. 

13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be 
preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman 
hath done, be told for a memorial of her. 

Bethany was a village two miles east of Jerusalem and on 
the other side of the Mount of Olives from Jerusalem. It was the 
home of Martha and Mary and the place where Lazarus was raised 
from the dead. Here in the house of Simon, the leper, who it is 
supposed was the father of the family or husband of either Martha 
or Mary, Jesus was anointed with costly ointment by a woman, 
who John says was Mary herself. (John 12:3.) This anointing 
probably did not take place at the time of the plotting of the 
chief priests mentioned in verses 1-5, but it is here introduced in 
order to show the immediate causes which led Judas to his betrayal 
of Christ. It is explanatory of what is mentioned in verses 14-16, 
and hence is introduced out of its chronological order. The high 
and lofty had failed to recognize Jesus, but this lowly woman 
saw who he was. It was ever thus with holiness and our holy 
religion. We sometimes wonder why the lofty and the leaders do 



350 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

not appreciate holiness. It has ever been so. Pharisees have al- 
ways failed to recognize holiness, because they have no spiritual 
vision. God has always been seen the best by the lowly. Mary 
came with an alabaster box or bottle of white marble. John tells 
us that this box contained a pound of spikenard, which was a very 
costly ointment. John says that Judas figured it up and said it 
could have been sold for three hundred pence — about $54.00 of our 
money. It was used to give smoothness and softness to the skin. 

The perfume filled the room and the fragrance of that act has 
been realized all through the ages wherever the New Testament 
has been read. But the perfume, grateful to the senses, was not 
at all agreeable to one of the company, who begins to find fault 
with it, and the others take up the criticism. They call it waste. 
It was waste to Judas, for he was a thief, and as he carried the 
bag for the whole company, the cause of his complaint is obvious. 
The offering of love is never too costly. There are thousands now 
who say the money expended in the cause and honor of Jesus is 
wasted. There are multitudes who never can appreciate the sacri- 
fices which love makes. It is because they do not know the mov- 
ings of love itself. Some people complain that the money 
given to foreign missions, for the spread of holiness, is thrown 
away. To such people the profession of holiness and the life of 
holiness are unappreciated. But the recognition of the holy char- 
acter of Jesus by this woman is to her honor to this day in all the 
world. "What we give to God is never lost or wasted. Thank God, 
there have always been some who are able to recognize and appre- 
ciate holy character when they see it. 

Jesus spoke words that must have been comforting to the cen- 
sured woman. l ■ Why trouble ye the woman. She hath wrought a 
good work upon me." She had unconsciously anointed him for 
his burial, which was to take place very soon. We never can tell 
what our acts involve or the results of them. Let us then have the 
same love that Mary had and let it rule our actions. The conse- 
quences of such acts are greater than we can appreciate or always 
know. 

Jesus goes on further to tell some important truths. One -s 
that God intends that there shall always be the classes of the 
poor and the rich. No scheme of society can prevent it in the 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 351 

nature of things. He teaches that we are not to miss our chance, 
but when we see holy character we are to treat it as such, while 
we have the opportunity. It will not always be our privilege. 

He then announces something that is striking, and that is, there 
were to be written records of the gospel. This prophecy, "Where- 
soever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world," shows 
it. He shows that this incident was to be preserved and handed 
down to the succeeding generations. 

He also by implication prophesied that his gospel was to be 
preached throughout all the world. What confidence this Galilean 
peasant had in the future of the gospel at the very time when 
his enemies were plotting his death. This whole incident is an 
encouragement to give our best, our love, our money and treasure 
for the honor of Jesus and his holy cause. 

HOLINESS IS SOMETIMES BETRAYED BY ITS PROFESSED 
FRIENDS. Vs. 14-16. 

14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the 
chief priests, 

15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver 

him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces 
of silver. 

16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. 
Judas, the professed friend of Jesus, betrayed him. Jesus was 

the exemplar of holiness, its head and chief, and his cause is 
treated as he was since he left the earth. It has often been be- 
trayed by some of its professed friends. The world could not 
have crucified Jesus if some of his professed followers had not 
betrayed him. Holiness can never be hurt except by its friends 
who are inconsistent. 

A careful study will show the logical connection of the chapter 
thus far. First Matthew begins by stating the plot of the chief 
priests to kill Jesus. Then he gives the scene of the anointing at 
Bethany to show how Judas came to be tempted to betray Jesus. 
The preceding part of the chapter leads up to the proposal of 
Judas Iscariot to betray him. 

Judas was of Kerioth (hence called Iscariot). Kerioth was 
a town of Judea mentioned in Joshua 15:25. It may be 



352 COMMKNTAKY ON THE GOSPEL 

asked why did Jesus choose such a man for a disciple? 
We are shut up to this conclusion that Judas was a good 
man when Jesus chose him; for, to say he would choose 
a bad man to be his disciple is an impeachment of the 
character of the holy Jesus. He could not have done it. Such 
a choice would be a warrant for us to choose bad men for the 
ministry. Judas must have been a good man at the time of his 
selection to be a disciple and apostle. Satan was not in him at 
that time, and did not enter into him until he allowed it. (See 
John 13:27.) Judas yielded to his besetting sin, covetousness. As 
long as we have inbred sin in us we are liable to be led away 
from Christ, and to his betrayal. This is one of the many reasons 
why we should be entirely sanctified. Judas was angry because 
Mary spent the money in buying the costly ointment to anoint 
Jesus. See his inconsistency. He was angry at the offering of 
the ointment which cost about fifty dollars, and he went away 
and betrayed Jesus to his enemies, and all for thirty pieces of 
silver — about fifteen dollars. Thirty pieces of silver was the price 
demanded for the killing of a slave by an ox. This small sum 
seems to indicate that Judas was more than covetous. He was 
doubtless angry. Zechariah had foretold this price of Jesus' be- 
trayal. (Zech. 11:12-13.) Here we have a picture of inbred sin 
in a preacher. For Judas had been preaching the gospel. Inbred 
sin is the great cause of backsliding. 

THE FEAST OF HOLY FELLOWSHIP WITH JESUS. 

Vs. 17-30. 

17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples 
came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare 
for thee to eat the passover? 

18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto 
him, The Master saith, My time is at hand ; I will keep the passover 
at thy house with my disciples. 

19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them ; and they 
made ready the passover. 

20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. 

21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one 
of you shall betray me. 

22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of 
them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 353 

23 And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with 
me in the dish, the same shall betray me, 

24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him : but woe unto 
that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed ! it had been good 
for that man if he had not been born. 

25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, 
is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said. 

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, 
and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take eat ; this is 
my body. 

27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, 
saying, Drink ye all of it ; 

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for 
many for the remission of sins. 

29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit 
of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my 
Father's kingdom. 

30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the 
mount of Olives. 

We now come to the account of the last Passover in the life 
of Jesus. This institution had been observed for fifteen centuries 
by the Jews. Originally given at the Exodus and observed yearly, 
it had all through these centuries pointed to Jesus, of whom the 
Paschal Lamb was a type. Now the type was to be lost in the 
anti-type. It was very fitting therefore, as the feast that prophe- 
sied his sacrifice was no longer needed as a prophecy, that it should 
be more intensely spiritualized for the comfort and benefit of the 
church of the ages to come. "Now the first day of the feast of 
unleavened bread." That is, the first day, which was Thursday. 
Although the Passover properly began on Friday, Thursday the 
14th of the month Nisan, was set apart for the slaying of the 
lamb and hence was called the first day of the Passover, which 
lasted seven days. Luke tells us (Ch. 22:8) that Peter and John 
were directed by him to make the preparation. By referring to 
Mark 14:15 we find that the guest chamber had already been pre- 
pared, and the lamb had probably been selected. The prepara- 
tion was the slaying of the lamb and roasting it for the table, 
and the furnishing of the bread and the bitter herbs. See Ex. 
12:1-11; 14-20, and Deut. 16:5-6 for account of what was re- 
quired. The Passover had to be celebrated within the walls of 
Jerusalem, or in case of necessity within the distance of a Sab- 



354 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

bath's journey from Jerusalem, that is, about three quarters of 
a mile from that city. The disciples came to Jesus and asked him 
about the preparations. He told Peter and John to go into the 
city to a certain man and tell him that the Master had sent them 
to tell him that his time was at hand and that he would keep 
the Passover at his house. Jesus had therefore completed the ar- 
rangement with this man previously. 

When the preparations were all made, "When the even wan 
come he sat down with the twelve." Literally he reclined with 
the twelve. The Jews did not sit at their meals but reclined on 
couches. Hence the pictures we see sometimes of the thirteen sit- 
ting at the table are incorrect. Probably John reclined next to 
Jesus on one side and possibly Judas on the other. At least Judas 
could not have been far away, for he was so near that Jesus 
could dip the sop into the sauce and reach it to him. 

He makes the startling statement, "Verily I say unto you, 
that one of you shall betray me. ' ' A mere man could not foresee 
what was before him, but Jesus was more than a man, and he 
foresaw the circumstances of his approaching death. He had told 
them before that he should be betrayed, but did not tell them 
who would be the traitor. Now he narrows it down to the com- 
pany of twelve. The traitor was among them. When they saw 
a little later that Judas was the traitor, their faith in Jesus was 
confirmed, and they were not so much surprised as they might 
have been had they not been forewarned. 

"Introductory to and during this supper some things occurred 
not mentioned by Matthew, but furnished by the other evangelists. 
Our Lord at the commencement expressed the solemn desire with 
which he had anticipated that feast. (Luke 22:14, 15.) Before 
the supper had fully begun (Luke 22:14-18) a strife took place 
for preeminence among the disciples, which drew forth from our 
Lord a lesson on humility, which he then illustrated by washing his 
disciples' feet. (John 13:1-20.) This he probably did as they 
reclined upon their supper-couches. This strife, at this most un- 
suitable time, probably arose for the preeminence at the table, of 
which the Orientals were very tenacious. Then follow the refer- 
ences to his betrayer here given by Matthew." (Whedon.) 

This announcement of treachery so filled them with sorrow 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 355 

and amazement that for the time being they forgot each his neigh- 
bor and asked, "Lord, is it I?" It is very significant that al- 
though Judas was a thief, as John tells us in John 12:6, still he 
carried himself so well that no one suspected him. John tells us 
that he (John) was lying on Jesus' bosom and that he asked Him 
who it was. (John 13:25, 26.) Jesus does not give him a direct 
answer, but says, "He that dippeth with me in the dish, the same 
shall betray me." Jesus was doing all he could to show Judas 
that his treachery was known and give him still an opportunity to 
repent. This is one of the sublimest acts of Jesus, extending mercy 
to one who was so base as to barter the blood of his best friend 
for a small sum of money. 

Jesus still further adds, ' ' The Son of Man goeth as it is writ- 
ten of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is 
betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been 
born." We note two striking truths here. One is that the fulfill- 
ment of prophecy does not excuse the man who does wrong even 
though the prophecy be fulfilled. 

Again we see it taught that there is no hope for those who 
die impenitent. He says of Judas, "Good were it for that man 
if he had never been born. ' ' This could never be true if Judas 
could be restored after a second probation in the other world. 

Judas now recovers from his surprise and asks with the rest, 
"Master, is it IV John gives a fuller account. He says that 
Jesus said not only "thou hast said" (which is the same as saying 
yes), but also gave him the sop, when he had dipped it in the dish 
and said, ' ' What thou doest, do quickly. ' ' In the excitement of 
the moment the other disciples evidently did not notice all the 
conversation of the two, but as John tells us what they did hear, 
it led them to think that Jesus had sent him on an errand to obtain 
something. John also tells us that Satan entered into him at this 
time. So that there is such an experience as having the devil 
enter into a man and possess him after he has sinned away the 
day of grace, and even has been a preacher. 

Then Judas went out. Inbred sin within him in the form of 
covetousness had conquered him. Every man, who has the carnal 
mind, is in danger of backsliding. 

Judas, having gone out, Jesus now establishes the Lord's Sup- 



356 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

per, changing the feast of the Passover forever into a spiritual 
feast. Judas was gone and none but genuine disciples remained. 
It is a feast for believers only. He never bids sinners to it. It 
is only for those who are in the kingdom of heaven. 

It is very fitting that the Passover should be changed in its 
nature, since the sacrifice had been made and it no longer looks 
forward to the slain Lamb of God, but looks backward to the 
sacrifice he made once for all. Consequently we need no more slain 
lambs in celebrating it. 

The cup and the bread of the old feast are continued in the 
Lord's Supper ever since because they represent spiritual com- 
munion. They are symbols. We say the cup and the bread of the 
old feast remain. The cup of the fruit of the vine, and the un- 
leavened bread of the Passover, were here forever consecrated as 
symbols of his body and blood. 

This feast is a symbol of his death until his coming again. No 
one but a divine being could have so accurately prophesied that 
this feast should never cease until His coming again. "We come 
now to words which have sounded forth through the church through 
all ages, and which are to sound forth until he comes again. The 
nature of the Lord's Supper is best understood, when we recollect 
that it is a modified form of the passover of the Old Testament. 
As baptism is a modified form of the ordinance of circumcision, as 
the Lord 's day is a modified continuation of the Sabbath, so is the 
Lord's Supper a modified continuance of the Passover of the Old 
Testament Church." (Whedon.) Lyman Abbott well says of the 
Lord's Supper, "It is a memorial of Christ as a gift and Christ 
as a sacrifice. It is a parable of the true nature of Christianity, 
Christ in us. It is a prophecy of future glory, perfect communion 
with Christ, perfect communion of saints." 

The usual custom was for the father of the family to act as 
master of the feast. The supper began by his asking a blessing. 
He next passed a cup of wine and the bitter herbs commanded in 
Exodus 12:8, which was eaten either with or without being dipped 
in the prepared sauce. This was the sop referred to in John 
13:26. Then the unleavened bread was passed. After which one 
of the children asked the meaning of the feast, and the father ex- 
plained it, as required in Exodus 12:26, 27. A song was then 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 351 

sung, the 113 or 114 Psalm, and the lamb was carved and then 
eaten. Then came usually a third or fourth cup of wine and then 
the supper closed by the chanting of Psalms 115-118. 

When Jesus broke the bread, he said, "Take, eat, this is my 
body." Eight here some of the most monstrous errors have come 
in. Here is one of the diverging points between the great systems 
of Protestantism and Catholicism. Men have been put to death 
for their views on questions that have sprung up from this utter- 
ance of Jesus. The Eoman Catholic finds in it the doctrine of 
Transubstantiation, viz.: that this unleavend bread becomes his 
literal body, and that the priest as his successor when he blesses 
the wafer of bread converts it into the actual body of Christ. 
We can not believe that Jesus ate his own body and we do not 
see how it was his real body unless a part of his body was taken 
away from him. If so, what part was it? The words are sym- 
bolic. When he said, "this is my body," he meant just as the 
Scripture means in many places, ' l This represents my body. ' ' For 
instance, when Daniel interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar he 
said, "Thou art this head of gold" (Dan. 2:38), meaning that it 
was a symbol of Nebuchadnezzar. When Joseph interpreted the 
dreams of the chief butler and chief baker in the prison, he said to 
the chief butler, * ' the three branches are three days ; ' ' that is, 
they signify three days; and to the chief baker, "the three bas- 
kets are three days ; ' ' that is, they represent three days. To get 
from these words of Jesus the monstrous doctrine that his body is 
being constantly miraculously multiplied shows how ridiculous is the 
superstition that binds men. The bread having been partaken, he 
gave them the cup. The symbolism of the bread and wine seems 
to be this, just as the bread and wine permeate the physical sys- 
tem when partaken and become a part of us, so does his grace 
permeate our hearts, if we partake of this supper with humility 
and faith. It is possible to partake of the Lord's Supper and 
make it only an empty form or it is possible through the form to 
touch God. How many think there is some especial merit in the 
observance of itself. It has no saving power. But it is a means 
of grace if rightly improved. 

He said, "Drink ye all of it." But in the Eoman Catholic 
church only the priest is allowed to partake of the cup. This 



358 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

exposes an error. "Why concerning the bread, did he say simply 
that they should eat: but concerning the cup, that all should 
drink? It is as though he designed to counteract the cunning of 
Satan" (Calvin). He foresaw the error of the Catholic Church. 
He adds still further, that this was his "blood of the New Testa- 
ment. ' ' The Revised Version translates it, ' ' my blood of the 
covenant." This blood, he says, "is shed for many," that is, 
for all who will accept its gracious provisions. This blood, he 
declares, "is shed for the remission of sins." This means more 
than pardon. It means for cleansing the heart from sin also. 
"The blood of Jesus not only secures pardon (Acts 5:31), but it 
also cleanseth from all sin (1 John 1:7). The object of his death 
is that we may have eternal life and be redeemed from all 
iniquity (Titus 2:14)." (Abbott.) Notice, it is not his example 
or his life or teachings, but his blood, that is, his life given for 
us that saves from sin. "But I say unto you, I will not drink 
henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink 
it new with you in my Father 's kingdom. ' ' This shows that the 
blood was a symboi and is here used in the symbolical sense. Cer- 
tainly he was not drinking his own blood. The wine is a symbol 
of the joy and life of the marriage feast in heaven, of which the 
Lord's Supper is a prophecy 

The Lord's Supper is a symbol of the communion of saints on 
earth and in heaven. Just so far as the church is holy here and 
now, so far they sample the joys of the grand communion of 
saints in heaven. 

DECEITFULNESS OF THE UNSANCTIFIED HEART. 

Vs. 31-35. 

31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended .because 
of me this night : for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and 
the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. 

32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. 

33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be 
offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. 

34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, 
before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 

35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I 
not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 359 

No man, who has in him the carnal mind, knows what it may 
lead him to do. The heart of man is a great mystery even to the 
man himself. Every man is a Columbus, who makes great dis- 
coveries before he dies, and the greatest of these discoveries is 
himself. When Elisha told Hazael that he (Hazael) would kill 
his master, he answered, "is thy servant a dog that he should 
do this thing. " But the next day he did it. So we find Peter 
self-confident before the "old man" in him asserted himself, 
It takes all the grace we can muster sometimes to stand, when 
we have no inward foe, but when we have both the inward foe, 
the old man and the outward foes, Satan and the world, our con- 
dition is indeed precarious. 

Jesus announces here, "All ye shall be offended because of 
me this night." What a startling statement to make in a social 
feast among bosom companions. Who but the Son of God him- 
self would have thought to have uttered it. And if Matthew had 
been attempting to palm off a lie in his writings, he would not 
have let this prophecy of their future cowardice have been re- 
corded, and then later have shown that it was correct. If Mat- 
thew had been writing an imposture he would not have told the 
cowardice of himself and the others. It is a plain unvarnished 
account. The word 1 1 offend ' ' means ' ' to stumble. ' ' They stum- 
bled badly before morning, in their desertion of their Master. 
Jesus quotes from the prophet Zechariah, "It is written, I will 
smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered. ' ' 
He prophesies still further that he will rise from the dead, al- 
though they perhaps very dimly understand it at this time, if at 
all. But after his resurrection he says he will go before them 
into Galilee. We see the accomplishment of this prophecy in 
Chapter 28:7: The passion of Jesus brings out the characters 
of those about him. What a variety of characters — Judas, the 
thief and traitor; Pilate, the irresolute; Caiaphas, the politic 
statesman; Nicodemus, the silent and timid disciple; John, the 
gentle, and Peter, the impulsive and cowardly, are all grouped 
about His passion and death. 

Jesus had already told Peter that Satan had desired to have 
him that he might sift him as wheat (Luke 22:31). Now for- 
getful of this and of his rash venture on the waves of the lake 



360 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

of Galilee, in attempting to walk to Jesus, he impulsively tells 
what he will do. Inbred sin is more than a match for our will 
power and our good resolutions. Peter no doubt meant all that 
he said when he declared that if "all men shall be offended be- 
cause of thee, yet will I never be offended." He prides him- 
self in being a little better in his allegiance to Jesus than the 
other disciples. Self-confidence is a mark of the carnal nature. 
It engenders pride, a feeling of superiority to others. Notice 
in John 21:15 how Jesus reminded him of his boast above others 
to his mortification. Jesus replies beginning with the word 
"Verily." He often used this word before his most solemn 
and weighty sentences. Matthew here gives only a part of what 
Jesus said. Mark probably gives the whole sentence thus: 
"Verily I say unto thee, that this day, even in this night, be- 
fore the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice." In the 
crowing of a cock there are two remarkable things: one that an 
animal so small should cry with so loud a voice; the other that it 
sings at stated hours and at such times as other birds are 
silent in sleep. God seems to have made him a time keeper. 
His instinct seems to tell the hours. The first cock crowing is at 
midnight and the second at the early dawn. 

Peter asserted then that if he died for it, he would not de- 
sert Jesus. The other disciples said the same thing. It is not 
best to be so sure what we will do in the future. We should 
make no vows for the future that are at all in our own strength 
and self assurance. We should ever say when we make vows, 
"God helping me." Chrysostom says: "A man's willingness is 
not sufficient unless he receive succor from above; but, we gain 
nothing by succor from above if there be not a willingness on our 
part." Peter was delivered from this carnal mind, which made 
him a weakling, at Pentecost. 

HOLINESS DOES NOT BEING EXEMPTION FROM 
SOEEOW. Vs. 36-46. 

36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Geth- 
semane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray 
yonder. 

37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, 
and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 361 

38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even 
unto death : tarry ye here, and watch with me. 

39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, 
saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me : 
nevertheless not as I win, but as thou icilt. 

40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep. 
and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 

41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation : the 
spirit indeed £s willing, but the flesh is weak. 

42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O 
my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink 
it, thy will be done. 

43 And he came and found them asleep again : for their eyes 
were heavy. 

44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third 
time, saying the same words. 

44 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep 
on now, and take your rest : behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son 
of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 

46 Rise, let us be going : behold, he is at hand that doth be- 
tray me. 

Some people have taken the position that the holier one is 
the less sorrow they will experience. Some have thought that 
affliction and sorrow were marks of sin and sinfulness. Job's 
friends accused him of sin because he was afflicted. This made 
his troubles the more difficult to bear. But Jesus the pattern of 
holiness was "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." 
No human being ever passed through depths of sorrow like his. 
Holiness does not therefore mean exemption from sorrow. 

With his disciples he came to "a place called Gethsemane. ' ' 
It seems that this was a favorite place of resort with him and 
his disciples. So accustomed were they to resort hither that 
Judas knew where to find him, to discover him to his enemies. 
The word Gethsemane means * ' an oil press. ' ' The place where 
the oil was pressed out of the olives. The very name suggests 
it as the place of awful pressure upon the heart of the world's 
Eedeemer. It was a garden. It was outside of the walls of 
Jerusalem on the eastern side, across the brook Cedron. The time 
of their entrance was about midnight. Leaving the rest of the 
disciples he goes with Peter and John a little further into the 
garden to pray. Peter, James and John were the favored dis- 
ciples. They were with him on the mount when he was trans- 



362 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

figured. They were with him when he raised Jairus' daughter. 
They were doubtless the most spiritual and hence could com- 
prehend him better than the others. 

It is noticeable that on the great occasions of his life He 
prayed. He prayed much, not so much to ask petition as to hold 
communion with God. If he, while on earth, needed so much to 
pray, certainly we ought to pray a great deal. Combining the ac- 
counts of the three evangelists, Matthew, Mark and Luke, we learn 
that he was amazed, and so sharp was the sorrow that he was 
in agony of soul. None of us will ever know, at least not in this 
world, the nature and depth of that awful sorrow that wrung his 
heart so that it nearly broke and forced the blood through the 
pores of his body. His struggle was evidently between the flesh 
and the spirit. It was the conflict between the shrinking of his 
humanity from the cross and at the same time the desire to go 
to it and suffer for the sin of the world. It was a heart oppressed 
with the sins of a whole world, which he was bearing. He shows 
his humanity in the fact that he wanted human companionship 
in that awful hour and accordingly invited Peter and James and 
John. In this awful struggle with the powers of darkness he 
wanted the companionship of his best friends. Did he pray for 
physical and mental strength to go through the approaching 
crucifixion and to bear up under the awful pressure now upon 
him? It would seem so, for the apostle says in Hebrews 5:7 
that "he was heard in that he feared." 

In this prayer of Jesus we find the model of true prayer: 
"If it be possible," and "nevertheless not my will, but thine, 
be done." These indicate the spirit of true prayer. 

He comes to his disciples and finds them asleep. Luke says 
they were ' ' sleeping for sorrow. ' ' Abbott notices they forgot their 
sorrow in sleep and he conquered his by prayer. He said to the 
self-sufficient Peter, who had just boasted of his steadfastness, 
"What, could ye not watch with me one hour?" He then gave 
him a precept not for that night only, and applicable not to him 
alone but to all, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into tempta- 
tion. ' ' There is a difference between entering into . temptation 
and having the temptation put upon us. The devil tempts some 
people and other people tempt the devil by rushing into tempta- 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 363 

tion. We are to both watch and pray. Some watch and do not 
pray and some pray but do not watch. The two must go to- 
gether. The trouble with these over sanguine disciples, who had 
just expressed their desire to die for and with him, was that 
"the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak." They meant 
well. Christ conquered the flesh. They were conquered by it. 
The term flesh here does not mean the sinfulness of the soul but 
physical human weakness. 

Then he went away and prayed the third time. Notice the dif- 
ference in his praying now that he was getting the victory. He 
prayed the first time, "O my Father, if it be possible let this 
cup pass from me ! nevertheless, not as I will but as thou wilt. ' ' 
Now he prays. ' ' O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from 
me, except I drink it, thy will be done. ' ' His only wish is to have 
the Father's will done, and his wish, to avoid any of the horror, 
has given way to the Father 's will. He l ' found them asleep again, 
for their eyes were heavy." 

Who will doubt that Satan induced this drowsiness? He 
makes no attempt to rouse them this time, but lets them sleep. 
He goes away and prays the third time the same words. Then 
he comes and rouses them from their slumber, saying, "Sleep 
on now and take your rest." As much as to say the crisis now 
is past henceforth it makes no difference as far as your sympathy 
in my great trial is concerned for the opportunity, the crisis, 
is past. 

He then announces the fact that Judas is coming with those 
who were to arrest him. 

Here closes the scene of Gethsemane with its awful mysteries 
which are beyond our comprehension. How reverently we should 
study this, for it concerns us all. What Jesus suffered there 
was on our behalf. Let us pray that it may touch our hearts 
afresh each time we read it. 

HOLINESS CAN NEVER BE CRUCIFIED BY THE WORLD 
UNLESS ITS PROFESSED FOLLOWERS BETRAY IT. 

Vs. 47-50. 

47 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, 
and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the 
chief priests and elders of the people. 



364 COMMENTABY ON THE GOSPEL 

48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whom- 
soever I shall kiss, that same is he : hold him fast. 

49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master : and 
kissed him. 

50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? 
Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. 

While Jesus was yet speaking "Judas, one of the twelve, 
came with a great multitude." Matthew very significantly says, 
' ' one of the twelve. ' ' He thus pertinently emphasizes the base- 
ness of the betrayal. It was by one of the twelve, a trusted 
friend, that Jesus is betrayed. The enemies of Jesus did not 
dare to take him openly and had they not known of his secret 
place of retirement they could not have found him at night. 
The cause of Jesus which is true holiness is no stronger than 
the character of its professed friends. If they by their con- 
duct betray it, they do a worse injury than can be done by the 
world. The world is powerless to injure holy character. It is 
only the man who betrays his profession by falling into sin today 
that can hurt the cause. 

Think of a great multitude being summoned with weapons to 
arrest the lowly, gentle Jesus who had never raised an army or 
had an armed body guard. It shows how much his enemies 
were afraid of him. Conscience makes men cowards. The min- 
isters of religion were the leaders against the great pattern of 
holiness. Holiness has never had much sympathy from eeclesias- 
ticism. 

Judas stepped forth and said : ' i Hail Master, and kissed him. ' ' 
This was the sign before agreed upon. It was necessary to have 
some sign as it was dark beneath the shade of the olive trees of 
the garden. Judas had said, ' ' Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same 
is he. Hold him fast." He was afraid his friends would rescue 
him. The kiss was the sign among the ancients of most intimate 
love or friendship. It was by this most endearing salutation that 
Jesus was betrayed. Jesus replied: "Friend, wherefore art thou 
come?" This appeal to the conscience of Judas was the last 
that he ever spoke to Judas. Alas! The holy religion of Jesus 
is still betrayed by some of its professed followers! One in 
twelve was a betrayer! Let us hope the ratio is no greater today. 



ACCOEDING TO ST. MATTHEW 365 

HOLINESS DOES NOT DEPEND ON CAENAL WEAPONS 
FOE ITS DEFENCE. Vs. 51-56. 

51 And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched 
out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high 
priest's, and smote off his ear. 

52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his 
place : for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. 

53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he 
shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? 

54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it 
must be? 

55 In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come 
out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat 
daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. 

56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets 
might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled. 

It will be noticed all along that the disciples had failed to 
comprehend the character of Jesus, the great pattern of holiness. 
Some are as dull of comprehension today as regards the holiness 
that he represents. It does not make its conquest by sword or by 
controversy as do other causes. True it causes controversy be- 
cause error attacks it. But it wins its greatest victories by letting 
others do the fighting. Its greatest victory is that of character. 
Weapons of war can not destroy character. The more men 
persecute it the more it shines. Jesus' greatest weapon in sub- 
duing the world has been his holy character. The early church 
won their victories by allowing others to fight and making no 
resistance. How have they mistaken the nature of holiness who 
are always in a wrangle. D'Aubigne, in the history of the 
Eeformation, says that the reason the Eeformation failed in 
France was because they took the sword to defend the truth. 
While the reason it succeeded in Germany was because they re- 
fused to use carnal weapons. God fought the battle for them. 
So when Jesus was seized by his enemies and Peter drew his sword 
and cut off the ear of a servant of the High Priest, Jesus re- 
buked him and at the same time by healing the man's wound 
showed his love to those who were seeking to take his life. Jesus 
here exemplified the doctrine of non-resistance whi^h he had taught, 
and revealed his love for his enemies. Jesus practiced the doc- 
trines he had preached. 



336 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

He uttered a great principle, ' ' They that take the sword shall 
perish with the sword. ' ' Strife begets strife ; violence begets 
violence. He then tells them that if he desired he could have 
summoned twelve legions of angels — one each for himself and the 
disciples. He adds as a reason for his submission to his enemies: 
"How shall the Scriptures be fulfilled?" How shall the will of 
God, as voiced in the prophecies, be carried out if he refused to 
be an offering for the sins of the world? 

He then protests against the indignity of coming out against 
him as if he were a thief or a robber, when he had only been 
charged with false teaching. A highwayman or a brigand could 
not have been seized in a more rough and brutal manner. It was 
not necessary to bring armed men. It is right to protest as 
Jesus did against indignity. Upon this "all the disciples forsook 
him, and fled. ' ' Although later Peter and John plucked up courage 
and followed him afar off.~ 

HOLINESS FIGHTEES USE WICKED METHODS. Ys. 57-68. 

57 And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to 
Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were 
assembled. 

58 But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, 
and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. 

59 Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought 
false witness against Jesus, to put him to death ; 

60 But found none : yea, though many false witnesses came, yet 
found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, 

61 And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of 
God, and to build it in three days. 

62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou 
nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 

63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and 
said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us 
whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. 

64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said : nevertheless I say unto 
you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand 
of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 

65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken 
blasphemy ; what further need have we of witnesses ? behold, now 
ye have heard his blasphemy. 

66 What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of 
death. 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 367 

67 Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him ; and others 
smote him with the palms of their hands, 

68 Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote 
thee? 

"When did ever truth have a fair opportunity. Truth can never 
use unrighteous means to defend itself. But error never scruples 
to use unfair means to attack the truth. The carnal mind 's 
exceedingly carnal in its methods of attack upon the truth. 
If holiness absolute in the person of Jesus Christ was opposed 
by falsehood and misrepresentation how can we expect that de- 
rived holiness in His followers, can have a fair opportunity? 
The trial of Jesus was most unjust. The charge was trumped up 
and the witnesses were false and what they finally called testimony 
was the twisting of his words How often has holiness been so 
treated since that time! 

Matthew says that "the chief priests, and elders, and all the 
council" before whom he was now brought "sought false witness 
against Jesus to put him to death. It was not a quest to 
get at the truth or to give him a fair trial but a determination to 
put him to death. This was their sole object. When men often 
times cannot silence argument they resort to violence. It shows a 
poor cause that has to resort to force or violence. Two witnesses 
were required by the law to condemn a man. They could not 
find two who could agree. This shows the great caution Jesus 
had used in his teaching thus far. They could get hold of noth- 
ing that he had said that would condemn him. "He never 
publicly proclaimed himself the Messiah. He forbade the evil 
spirits from announcing his character. He received the confession 
of his disciples, but refused to permit them to repeat it to 
others. Interrogated by the Jews, whether he was the Christ, he 
had refused a direct reply and had referred them to his works. 
He had given the same response to the public questioning of 
John's disciples. In most of his later ministry he had veiled 
his meaning in parables, which revealed the truth to honest 
inquirers, but hid it from his foes" (Abbott). Two false wit- 
nesses were at last found, who said he had declared, "I am able 
to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days." 
What he did say is recorded in John 2:19-21 and was entirely dif- 



368 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

ferent from this version for he was talking of the temple of 
his body. Truth perverted is the worst form of a lie and is 
one of the favorite methods of the carnal mind in opposing holy- 
people ever since. 

The high priest was angry and arose and asked him, "An- 
swerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against 
thee?" It is useless to answer calumny when we know the case is 
already prejudged. 

"I adjure thee by the living God." This was putting Jesus 
under oath which he had no right to do, for a man could not be 
condemned by his own testimony. 

Luke tells us (Luke 22:67-71) that Jesus protested against 
this illegality but they cared nothing for justice. They were 
determined that he should die. Then in answer to the demand 
of the high priest "tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son 
of God, ' ' Jesus replied, l ' Thou hast said. ' ' This was the ancient 
phrase for ' ' Yes. ' ' Jesus not only answers the question but says 
still further that he is to come in the clouds of heaven to judge 
the world. Jesus here, as in other places, calls himself the Son of 
Man. It means that he is the Second Adam, the head of a new 
race, the pattern man. They were judging Him, but the time was 
coming when He is to come in the clouds of heaven to judge them. 
"As the passion advances, its amazing contrasts grow in affect- 
ing interest. The Deliverer in bonds; the Judge attainted; the 
Prince of Glory scorned; the Holy One condemned for sin; the 
Son of God, a blasphemer; the Eesurrection and the Life sen- 
tenced to die. The eternal High Priest is condemned by the high 
priest of the year." (Stier.) 

Hearing this, the high priest arose and rent his garments. 
This was a sign of grief and abhorrence. The high priest de- 
clares, "He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have 
we of witnesses ? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. ' ' This 
was acting for effect, in order to influence the hearers and as 
he asks still further, "What think ye? They answered and said, 
He is guilty of death. ' ' The Jewish law punished blasphemy with 
death. In their ignorance they had accused and condemned the 
divine being of blaspheming against himself. Quesnel says: 
"The Author of Life and Life eternal itself, is then judged 



ACCOBDING TO ST. MATTHEW 369 

worthy of death; and can we complain after this of the injustice 
of human judgments as to ourselves?" Some deny the divinity of 
Jesus. But his enemies understood him to teach it. Their 
malice then asserted itself by their spitting in his face and 
striking him in the face with their fists (for that is what the 
word buffet means in the Greek) and with the palms of their 
hands they slapped his face. 

This is a manifestation of the attitude of the carnal mind 
against holiness. And can we who profess to be the followers 
of the Holy Jesus expect anything different if we have that 
11 holiness without which no man shall see the Lord?" The car- 
nal mind, the world and the devil are against us. But thank 
God, He is on the side of holiness! 

INBEED SIN TEMPTS CHEISTIANS TO BE COWAEDLY. 
Vs. 69-75. 

69 Now Peter sat without in the palace : and a damsel came 
unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. 

70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou 



71 And when he was gone out iuto the porch, another maid saw 
him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with 
Jesus of Nazareth. 

72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. 

73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said 
to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them ; for thy speech betrayeth 
thee. 

74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the 
man. And immediately the cock crew. 

75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto 
him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went 
out, and wept bitterly. 

Peter had followed Jesus afar off (Vs. 58). He should not be 
blamed for this, for he could not have followed him any nearer. 
It would not have been permitted. He and John did better than 
the other disciples who failed to follow him at all. But Peter 
still had in him the carnal mind. And whoever has that finds 
that it is a traitor to conscience and loyalty to God and its 
tendency is to betray us, or tempt us away from our loyalty to 
Jesus. He came to the palace of the high priest and sat in the 



310 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

court or hallway where he could partially hear what was going 
on in the trial of Jesus. As he sat there and people were coming 
and going he was accused several times of being one of the 
followers of Jesus, but denied it three times just as Jesus had 
prophesied. With the third denial he began to curse and swear. 
It must have been a surprise to himself that he did so. No 
man knows what he is capable of doing while he has the carnal 
mind in him (who is ''yet carnal" as Paul says of the Cor- 
inthian church). 

"Immediately the cock crew, and Peter remembered the word 
of Jesus" (Vs. 34), "and he went out, and wept bitterly." 
Thank God for the record of those tears! He wept bitterly. 
It shows that he was not a hardened hypocrite like Judas. It 
shows that he was truly penitent and he loved Jesus in spite 
of his weakness. Denial, cursing and bitter weeping. What 
a combination in one minute. He had not intended like Judas to 
commit sin but the carnal mind in him took him by surprise and 
he went down. But a few days later when he had received the 
Pentecostal baptism that kills the carnal mind, he was bold 
enough to defy this same council and accuse them of having 
murdered Jesus. Pentecost kills carnality. 

Thousands have criticised and condemned Peter who have in 
them the same thing that caused him to deny his Master. Get 
rid of inbred sin before you attempt to criticise others, who have 
gone down under its temptations. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 
HOLINESS CRUCIFIED. 

The World Not So Antagonistic to Holiness as a Worldly Church. 
Vs. 1-2. Doom of Betrayers of Holiness. Vs. 3-10. Holiness 
on Trial Puts its Enemies on Trial. Vs. 11-31. The Wicked 
Human Heart Seeks to Put Holiness Off the Face of the Earth. 
Vs. 32-50. The Way Opened into the Holiest. Vs. 51. God 
Raises Up Friends in the Most Trying Hour. Vs. 52-61. Car- 
nality Pursues Holiness Even to the Tomb. Vs. 62-66. 

THE WOELD NOT SO ANTAGONISTIC TO HOLINESS AS 
A WORLDLY CHURCH. Vs. 1-2. 

1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders 
of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death : 

2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, and de- 
livered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. 

His enemies could not rest until they had slain Jesus. They 
were in haste to do it. They had not the power of life and death 
as the Romans had taken it from them, when they had con- 
quered the Jews. So the only barrier in the way to his imme- 
diate execution was the consent of Pilate, the Roman governor. 
So they took counsel as to what arguments they could bring to 
bear upon Pilate to obtain his consent. Pilate would not care 
anything about the charge of blasphemy under which they had 
already condemned Jesus, for it was a Jewish law. So they 
set about framing an excuse. Here were the leaders of the 
church consulting how they might persuade the world to kill 
the head of the church — their Messiah. The world never crucifies 
the cause of God until the church makes it possible. The real 
haters of holiness are not the world, but a dead ecclesiasticism. 
The world says of holiness what Pilate says of Jesus, "I find no 
fault." The world says, "That is the kind of religion we be- 
lieve in, if we were to have any kind." 

371 



372 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

DOOM OF BETRAYERS OF HOLINESS. Vs. 3-10. 

3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he 
was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces 
of silver to the chief priests and elders, 

4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent 
blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 

5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and de- 
parted, and went and hanged himself. 

6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not 
lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price 
of blood. 

7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's 
field, to bury strangers in. 

8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. 

9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the 
prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of 
him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value ; 

10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me. 

The worst enemies of holiness have been those who have once 
professed it, and then have gone against it. The only attacks 
against it of any account have been from this quarter. We now 
have a picture of the despairing Judas. "When he saw that he 
(Jesus) was condemned, repented himself and brought again the 
thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, 
I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. ' ' What 
a testimony to the moral character of Jesus by one who had lived 
with him for three years nearly, and could bring nothing against 
his character to justify the crime which he had committed! Judas 
had that false conception of repentance which is sorry, not 
for sin but for the results. "There are two Greek words used 
in the New Testament, both of which are rendered 'repent.' 
They are not quite synonymous; the one metanoeo signifies literally 
to 'know after, and hence indicates a change of mind or purpose; 
the other (metameleomai) signifies literally to care after, and so 
to carry a burden of sorrow for the past. The latter is the word 
used here. The distinction is well stated here by Trench, ' He who 
has changed his mind, about the past is in a way to change every- 
thing; he who has an after care may have little or nothing more 
than a selfish dread of what he has done.' This appears to have 
been the state of mind of Judas." (Abbott). Judas evidently 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 373 

thought that he had sinned beyond the hope of mercy for he 
violently hurled himself out of the world. There is a repentance 
which is false and hence brings no salvation. It is not godly 
sorrow for sin. Perhaps Judas was in hopes of dissuading them 
from their awful deed. These wicked churchmen cared nothing 
for this repenting wretch. But they have the additional testimony 
even, of Judas put squarely in their faces. They were absolutely 
without excuse. This deprived them of justifying themselves. 
They could not make the excuse that one of his disciples did 
not believe in him. These churchmen were very scrupulous, not 
to take the money which Judas threw down on the floor in the 
midst of their council because it would violate the letter of the 
Scripture. But they were not the least bit solicitous about the 
soul of this wretch about to plunge into perdition. What does 
the carnal mind, the great enemy of God and his holiness, care 
about the souls of the lost! 

HOLINESS ON TRIAL PUTS ITS ENEMIES ON TRIAL. 
Vs. 11-31. 

11 And Jesus stood before the governor : and the governor asked 
him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto 
him, Thou sayest. 

12 And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he 
answered nothing. 

13 Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things 
they witness against thee? 

14 And he answered him to never a word ; insomuch that the 
governor marvelled greatly. 

15 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto 
the people a prisoner, whom they would. 

16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. 

17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto 
them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus 
which is called Christ? 

18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. 

19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent 
unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man : for 
I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. 

20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that 
they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. 

21 The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the 
twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. 



374 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which 
is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him he crucified. 

23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But 
they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. 

24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, ibut thai 
rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands 
before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just 
person : see ye to it. 

25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, 
and on our children. 

26 Then released he Barabbas unto them : and when he had 
scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. 

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common 
hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. 

28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. 

29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it 
upon his head, and a reed in his right hand : and they bowed the 
knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews ! 

30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on 
the head. 

31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe 
off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away 
to crucify him. 

Jesus was on trial by his enemies but he had them on trial 
although they did not realize it. Pilate had to decide between 
him and the leaders of the Jewish church, as to which one he 
would favor and in deciding the matter he decided his own 
eternal destiny. The Jewish people had to decide between him 
and Barrabas, a robber, and they preferred the robber to Jesus. 
They made their awful choice. The punishment is still on them. 
And today men are making their choice of the holiness which 
Jesus represented or something else which they prefer. Those 
who oppose Jesus and his holiness are putting themselves on trial 
and showing what is in them. Their characters are being fixed 
by their choice. Holiness is the touch-stone that reveals and 
is the sealing of character. Luke and John tell us that the chief 
priests and scribes now accused Jesus of creating sedition and 
claiming to be King of the Jews. So Pilate, the governor asks him, 
"Art thou the King of the Jews?" Jesus replied, "Thou 
sayest, " which is equivalent to saying "Yes." He was the 
King, but not in the sense that these accusers wished Pilate to 
understand it. He was a king in the spiritual realm. He was the 



ACCOKDING TO ST. MATTHEW 375 

King of the kingdom of "righteousness, peace and joy in the 
Holy Ghost." John tells us (Ch. 18:36-38) that Jesus ex- 
plained in what sense he claimed to be King. Pilate finds that 
he is innocent of the charge. The chief priests keep up their 
accusation but Jesus answers not a word. He was willing to ex- 
plain to a heathen, who was uninformed in the matter but not to 
these prejudiced intolerant enemies. And Pilate was greatly 
astonished that he made no answer to them. 

It was the custom as it is quite frequently today among na- 
tions for some special favor to be granted to the subject people 
by their conquerors on festal days. The Eomans had conquered 
the Jews and on feast days to please the people they often re- 
leased some prisoner. There was a notorious prisoner named 
Barrabas, who had been a robber, and Pilate asks them which 
they prefer to have set free, Barrabas or Christ. Matthew says 
that Pilate knew that it was for envy that they sought the death 
of Jesus. What awful crimes has envy committed! It was the 
sin of the first man born into the world. It was for envy that 
Cain slew his brother. Envy caused the first murder and the 
greatest of all murders — that of Jesus. The chief priests and 
elders persuaded the people to clamor for the death of Jesus. 
Lyman Abbott speaks on this passage of ' ' the curse of an apostate 
and persecuting church. It is the chief priests that incite the 
cry." So the multitude insist on his crucifixion. How such 
leaders will have to answer for the way they have influenced 
the common people. 

Now when Pilate was set down on his judgment throne he 
had a message from his wife beseeching him that he would "have 
nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many 
things this day in a dream because of him." The ancients had 
great faith in dreams. God gives Pilate plenty of opportunity 
to escape the guilt of the condemnation of Jesus by using the 
superstition in which he believed, to influence him. So he was 
without excuse. Just as God used the star of Bethlehem to 
lead the wise men of heathendom to the cradle of Jesus, so 
now he used the dream of Pilate's wife to save him from com- 
plicity in this crime. Pilate had no excuse. In trying Jesus be 
was being tried himself. It is a solemn thing to live, for all of 



376 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

us are obliged to do something with Jesus and truth and holiness 
whether we will or not. 

Pilate tries to reason with the people saying, "Why, what 
evil hath he done ? ' ' But this only stirred up their combativeness 
and hatred all the more, until Pilate was afraid at the tumult 
that had been awakened. John tells us that they told him 
that if he released Jesus, it would show that he was not the 
friend of the Emperor of Eome who had appointed him to his 
position as governor. This frightened Pilate evidently. He was 
afraid of being unpopular with the crowd, for they might accuse 
him to the Emperor. So he did what he knew was wrong. 
Millions since that time have sacrificed their sense of right for 
fear of loss of popularity. This is the great cause in all ages 
of the fewness of the number of those who want to go with Jesus. 
They fear the people. If absolute holiness, as represented in 
the character of Jesus, was crucified because of this fear of 
displeasing men, need we wonder that the holiness that God 
imparts to his disciples today meets with the same treatment from 
those who love the praise of men more than the praise of God? 
Do we imagine men will see our holiness and acknowledge it? 

"When Pilate saw it was no use to reason with them he called 
for water and washed his hands. This was a symbol of innocence 
from blood guiltiness (See Deut. 21:6-9). But ceremonies will 
not wash away sin. All the baptisms and ablution of the ritual 
will not wash away one sin. No man can shirk his responsibility 
upon others. 

Then all the people called down upon themselves, in their 
blindness, the most awful curse, "His blood be upon us and 
upon our children." How literally has this been fulfilled. With- 
in the life time of that generation the Eomans came against this 
rebellious city and thousands of these Jews, who condemned Jesus 
to be crucified, were themselves crucified by the Romans and 
thousands were carried into captivity. Canon Farrar says, "Be- 
fore the dread sacrifice was consummated, Judas died in the 
horrors of a loathsome suicide. Caiaphas was deposed the follow- 
ing year. Herod died in infamy and exile, stripped of his 
proeuratorship very shortly afterwards, on the very charges he had 
tried, by a wicked concession, to avoid. Pilate, wearied out with 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 3*77 

misfortune died in suicide and banishment, leaving behind him 
an execrated name. The house of Annas was destroyed a genera- 
tion later by an infuriated mob, and his son was dragged through 
the streets, and scourged and beaten to the place of murder." 
So Pilate delivered Jesus over to his enemies having scourged 
him. It was a terrible thing to be whipped after the Eoman 
fashion. It was so terrible that it often caused death. 

THE WICKED HUMAN HEART SEEKS TO PUT HOLINESS 
OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. Vs. 32-50. 

32 And as they came out, they Tound a man of Cyrene, Simon 
by name : him they compelled to hear his cross. 

33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that 
is to say, a place of a skull, 

34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall : and when 
he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. 

35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots : 
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They 
parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast 
lots. 

36 And sitting down they watched him there ; 

37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS 
JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 

38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the 
right hand, and another on the left. 

39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 

40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it 
in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down 
from the cross. 

41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking Tiim, with the scribes 
and elders, said, 

42 He saved others ; himself he cannot save. If he be the King 
of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe 
him. 

43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have 
him : for he said, I am the Son of God. 

44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the 
same in his teeth. 

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the 
land unto the ninth hour. 

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, 
saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, 
why hast thou forsaken me? 

47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, 
This man calleth for Elias. 



378 COMMENT AEY ON THE GOSPEL 

48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and 
filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 

49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to 
save him. 

50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a" loud voice, yielded 
up the ghost. 

We now come to the greatest event that has yet taken place 
since the world began — the awful tragedy of the cross of Jesus. 
It was the climax of all history from the time in Eden when it 
was prophesied that the seed of the woman should ."bruise the 
serpent's head." To this event the hosts of heaven, prophets, 
and seers of earth had looked for ages. By this event the history 
of this world has been modified and changed, and its influence has 
been deepening and widening ever since. It was the wicked human 
heart — the carnal mind, which is "enmity against God" — that 
was the guilty party. Jesus "came to his own and his own re- 
ceived him not. ' ' It has been thus ever since. The cause of holi- 
ness which Jesus represented is just as much hated today as then. 
Could men have their way holiness would be put off the face of 
the earth. A carnal church or rather ungodly eeclesiasticism 
crucified him, and is continually doing the same to his eause. 
The most saintly characters ever since have had the same opposi- 
tion from a wicked eeclesiasticism in every age. In the age in 
which we live it is not permitted to crucify or bring to the 
cross, but the same disposition, that sent Him to the cross, mani- 
fests itself in other ways. "All that will live godly in Christ 
Jesus shall suffer persecution." If Jesus, the aboslutely pure 
and holy, could not live so that men would recognize his purity, 
neither can we, and this talk about living so that people will 
acknowledge what we have is all a mistake. The very fact 
that the same animus is manifest towards those who are washed 
in the blood of Jesus, shows that they are following in the foot- 
steps of the Captain of their salvation who walked the thorny 
path. The more we are like Him, the more we will receive the 
same kind of treatment. 

A lesson for us is the victory which Jesus had, all the way 
through this awful ordeal, up to the very last. Nothing daunted 
him. Holy men and martyrs ever since have triumphed by His 
grace in like circumstances. He never faltered in spite of all that 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 379 

wicked men heaped upon him. He carried out what he undertook 
and drank the cup to its dregs. 

To get the full account of the crucifixion we must read all 
four of the gospels. No one of them gives the whole account. 
We here confine ourselves mostly to the account of Matthew. 
Notice the account of Matthew. How simple it is. There is no 
attempt to color it with rhetoric. It is a simple unvarnished 
narrative. 

It was customary with the ancients to execute their criminal 
outside of the city walls. So they went forth from the city. 
Eead Heb. 13:11-13 to see what this has to do with our sane- 
tification. There was a man of Cyrene, a city of Libya in 
Africa (probably therefore a black man), who had doubtless come 
up as a pilgrim to the feast of the Passover. They siezed upon 
him and compelled him to bear the cross for Jesus. Probably 
Jesus had been bearing it according to the custom of compelling 
the criminal to bear his own cross and doubtless he was not able 
to carry it any further, through exhaustion. They came to a 
place called Golgotha, which is the Hebrew for a skull. The 
Latin word is Calvaries from which we get our English word, 
Calvary. It was so named probably because it resembled a skull 
and was therefore wdthout doubt a small eminence. Here they 
gave him a sour wine mixed with gall to drink. This was quite 
often given criminals, who were to be executed, to stupefy them. 
It is thought by some that this was given him by the women 
referred to in Luke 23:27. But when Jesus tasted it he re- 
fused to drink it. He proposed to go out of the world sober. 
He determined to offer himself as a sober, intelligent sacrifice, 
avoiding nothing. He died in full possession of all his faculties. 

"And they crucified him." This was the end of hours of 
suffering. To comprehend to what a climax of suffering he had 
come we must remember that he had passed a night of the most 
intense agony in Gethsemane; added to exhaustion from loss of 
sleep was the buffetting as they struck him with their fists in 
the face, and then slapped his face. Then he went through that 
awful ordeal of a Roman scourging, with his back lacerated by 
the cruel thongs of the whip. This was the sufferer who was 
now nailed to the ignominous agonizing cross. Extended on the 



380 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

ground, he was nailed to it. Then it was raised and set in its 
socket in the earth causing his bones to be dislocated, fulfilling 
the prophecy, "All my bones are out of joint" (Psa. 22:14). 
Thus he had been most cruelly treated for hours but nothing had 
been done to touch the heart, the fountain of life, and thus he 
hung for hours of torture until death came from exhaustion and 
mental agony. It was a death of the most horrible torture; 
so terrible that even some of the Romans expostulated against 
this custom of punishing criminals. Then his executioners, who 
were Roman soldiers took his garments and gambled for them. 
Nothing shows more clearly the hardening nature of gambling, 
than this exhibition of casting lots right under the shadow of 
the cross. Having done this, they sat down and watched him that 
none of his friends might take him down. 

As it was customary to write the accusation of the one thus 
punished over his head on the cross, they wrote it in the three 
great languages of the world: "This is Jesus, the king of the 
Jews." This was fitting. He was the King of the Jews, though 
not in the sense that they meant. He came to set up a kingdom. 
And He did it. 

Two thieves were executed at the same time, and to try to make 
it appear that Jesus was the worst of the three, they put his 
cross in the center. This also fulfilled the Scripture (See Isa. 
53:12). Then they added insult by wagging their heads as they 
passed the cross saying, "Thou that destroyest the temple, and 
buildest it in three days, save thyself. " " This was a reference 
to his words in John 2:19, and the language here and in verses 
62, 63 indicates that their misrepresentation of his words at his 
trial was wilful" (Abbott). Further they said, "If thou be 
the Son of God come down from the cross. ' ' It was fortunate for 
this poor lost world that he did not come down. We would 
have been lost if he had descended from the cross. This had been 
said by the passers by generally, and now the chief priests, 
scribes and elders said still further, "He saved others: himself 
he cannot save." Was it not true? He could not save us if he 
had saved himself. They unconsciously told the truth, just as 
they did when they said "he receives sinners." What was meant 
to be a stigma was a declaration of his great mission and glory. 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 38 1 

"He trusted in God: let him deliver him now." They mis- 
understood what divine deliverance meant. And many still make 
the same mistake, when the righteous suffer. God seems to have 
deserted them, in the eyes of men. They think that God is dis- 
pleased. Job's friends made this mistake. This is the short 
sightedness and blindness of the carnal mind. 

The last reproach heaped on him was from the robbers, who 
also railed at him as did the ecclesiastics. 

About noon (the sixth hour) great darkness fell on all the 
land. This was not an eclipse of the sun, for the Passover took 
place at the full of the moon and an eclipse at that time is im- 
possible. It was the token of the divine displeasure. It is im- 
possible to make it mean anything less. 

As the darkness ceased about three in the afternoon Jesus 
cried out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani. ' ' The 
first two words are Hebrew, the latter two Chaldaic. The meaning 
was, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken mef" This wa3 
the last dreg in the cup which he drank — the abandonment of the 
Father and then withdrawal of His presence. None of us can 
understand all that this meant. It is one of the mysteries of re- 
demption. It was a part of the price that Jesus paid for our 
redemption. 

Some of the bystanders when they heard this cry said, "He 
calleth for Elias." This was probably an intentional, mocking 
misunderstanding of his words. It was at this time that Jesus 
said again, "I thirst." Immediately one of the soldiers "ran 
and took a sponge and filled it with vinegar and put it on a 
reed and gave him to drink," while the others told him not to do 
it but wait and see if Elias would come and rescue him. 

Jesus cried once more with a loud voice and yielded up his 
life, with the words (so John tells us), "Father into thy hands 
I commend my spirit." Just as he died for sin we are to die to 
it. (Rom. 6:5-11.) 

THE WAY OPENED INTO THE HOLIEST. Vs. 51. 

51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the 
top to the bottom ; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent ; 

With His expiring cry the veil that separated the holy place 
of the temple from The Holy of Holies was rent in twain from 



382 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

top to bottom (not from bottom to top), showing that it was 
not done by human power. The power came from above. With 
that rent veil went the virtue that had hitherto obtained from 
the sacrifices of the law. Annually on the great day of atone- 
ment, the high priest went within that veil with the blood of the 
sacrificed goat to sprinkle it before the Mercy Seat above the 
sacred ark. But this was no longer necessary for the great 
sacrifice had been offered once for all; it was no longer necessary 
to have earthly priests, for Jesus is the great high priest, who 
has entered heaven once for all, to make intercession for us, as 
did the ancient high priest. 

The author of Hebrews says: "Having therefore, brethren, 
boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new 
and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the 
veil, that is to say, his flesh. ' ' The ancient High Priest went into 
the holy of holies only once a year and then with trembling lest 
he had not carefully prepared himself. If he had not conformed 
to all the divine requirements he would be struck dead. Now 
Jesus prepared the way for us to enter the holiest, that is, the 
highest experience of grace — full salvation. The outer part of the 
tabernacle represented access to God in the experience of re- 
generation, for the tabernacle was a place of worship on earth 
and represented earthly worship. So the holy place had its 
light from the golden candlestick, representing Jesus who shines 
into every Christian heart; the table of shew bread represents 
Jesus the bread of life, on which every Christian feeds; the 
altar of incense which represents the prayers of true Christians. 
This altar was placed next and close to the veil separating from 
the holiest or Holy of Holies, showing that all true Christians 
pray for entrance into the higher experience of entire sanctifica- 
tion. In this second apartment was the Shechinah which was a 
manifestation still more wonderful than the light of the golden 
candlestick; for entire sanctification has greater manifestations 
than regeneration. Within the ark in this apartment were the 
tables of the law, showing that entire sanctification is the ex- 
perience where we can keep all the commandments of God; the 
pot of manna which was miraculously kept from fermentation 
(showing the keeping the heart pure, by divine power) ; the rod of 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 383 

Aaron which budded, blossomed and bore fruit, showing the fruit- 
ful life of those who have entered this second degree of sal- 
vation. This was "the holiest" opened by the death of Jesus — 
complete salvation from sin. 

GOD RAISES UP FRIENDS IN THE MOST TRYING HOUR, 
Vs. 52-61. 

52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints 
which slept arose, 

53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went 
into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 

54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watch 
ing Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, 
they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. 

55 And many women were there beholding afar off, which fol- 
lowed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him : 

56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of 
James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children. 

57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arima- 
thsea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple : 

58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate 
commanded the body to be delivered. 

59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean 
linen cloth, 

60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in 
the rock : and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, 
and departed. 

61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting 
over against the sepulchre. 

There were three effects of his death. 1. The veil of the 
temple was rent. 2. There was a great earthquake. 3. The 
graves were opened of many of the saints; some who were most 
precious to Jesus doubtless. His power went into the realms of 
the unseen world and raised a few in advance, as specimens of the 
general resurrection, when his voice will arouse the slumbering 
millions of earth. 

No holy person can live on earth without making an impres- 
sion and raising up some one to testify to their character. So 
now the Roman centurion, who was an officer, who commanded 
a hundred soldiers, standing by with four soldiers was convinced 
that Jesus was a divine person or being. The heathen soldier saw 



384 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

more in the character of Jesus than did these bigoted Pharisees 
who were the professed servants of God and had the Scriptures. 
The Pharisees had the advantage of superior knowledge of the 
Scripture. But prejudice has ever blinded men to their own 
best interests. There were many women standing afar off, as near 
as they dared to come, for fear of the Jews. Among them 
was Mary Magdalene, a much abused and misunderstood char- 
acter. " There is no ground for identifying her with the woman 
that was a sinner, mentioned in Luke 7:36-50 and none, therefore, 
for the popular idea that her early life was profligate. Yet that 
idea is all but universal. The name is applied to women who 
have fallen from chastity. Institutions for the reformation of 
such women are named Magdalene asylums: an order of nuns in 
the Roman church, composed of chiefly penitent courtesans, is 
called Magdalenes, and is dedicated to Mary Magdalene — a curious 
illustration of how an entirely groundless idea may gain popular 
and unquestioned acceptance." 

But God would not allow the body of Jesus, forever hallowed 
by its being the temple of divinity, to be buried in the potter's 
field. So he had raised up a man of means to take care of this 
precious temple of the Holy Ghost. So when even was come, 
Joseph Arimathea, a wealthy man and one of the council, who was 
secretly a disciple of Jesus came and begged the body and laid it 
in his own new tomb. When Jesus was born, wise men from the 
East came and brought magnificent presents which were very ser- 
viceable to the parents of Jesus in his support in Egypt, to which 
they were obliged to flee. So now God raised up a wealthy man 
to take care of his body. God makes the wealthy of the world 
subservient to his cause as far as it is needed. Nicodemus also 
who had been a disciple of Jesus came with him. Besides these 
Matthew says very touchingly: "And there was Mary Magdalene 
and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulcher. " This 
other Mary was doubtless the mother of Joses. (Mark 15:47.) 

CARNALITY PURSUES HOLINESS EVEN TO THE TOMB. 
Vs. 62-66. 

62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, 
the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 385 

63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was 
yet alive, After three days I will rise again. 

64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the 
third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and 
say unto the people, He is risen from the dead : so the last error 
shall be worse than the first. 

65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch : go your way, make 
it as sure as ye can. 

66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, 
and setting a watch. 

The enemies of Jesus were not satisfied with destroying him. 
Their enmity went into the grave with him. Truly "the carnpl 
mind is enmity against God." They had killed him and now 
they were determined that he should not rise again. "The 
next day that followed the day of the preparation." This was 
their Sabbath and yet they did not hesitate to break it, in coming 
and demanding a guard from Pilate, for Jesus' tomb. When 
men hate holiness they will break any law to fight it. They knew 
that he had taught that he should rise from the grave and they 
determined to do all they could to prevent it. But it is im- 
possible to bury truth and holiness so deep but what they will 
rise again. Even if they had been able to bury the great repre- 
sentative of holiness in the very midst of the earth, 4,000 miles 
down, he would have risen again. Men think they can bury holi- 
ness and wipe it off the face of the earth. But it has been found 
impossible. It will rise and does rise again. What is said of 
truth in general may be truly said of the great truth of holi- 
ness, viz.: "Holiness crushed to earth will rise again." There is 
no sea so deep that it can keep it submerged; no mountain so 
high that it can smother it; no rage so great that it can destroy 
it; no ridicule or scorn so mighty that it can overthrow it. As 
sure as the great exemplar of holiness arose from the futile at- 
tempts of his enemies, so shall his cause of holiness remain on the 
earth in spite of all opposition. Pilate allowed them to have 
their watch. So they set their guard and sealed the stone that 
had been rolled to the mouth of the tomb; and it was death to 
break the seal of the Roman governor. But there was One 
who cares nothing about the petty malice of men. Their opposi- 
tion was futile. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 
HOLINESS CAN NOT BE ANNIHILATED. 

Holiness Has its Resurrection. Vs. 1-10. Slanders Against the 
Resurrection. Vs. 11-15. Power of the Resurrection. Vs. 16-fcO. 

HOLINESS HAS ITS RESURRECTION. Vs. 1-10. 

1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the 
first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to 
see the sepulchre. 

2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake : for the angel of 
the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone 
from the door, and sat upon it. 

3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white 
as snow : 

4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became a* 
dead men. 

5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not 
ye : for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 

6 He is not here : for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the 
place where the Lord lay. 

7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from 
the dead ; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee ; there shall 
ye see him : lo, I have told you. 

8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and 
great joy ; and did run to bring his disciples word. 

9 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, 
saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and 
worshipped him. 

10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid : go tell my brethren 
that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. 

"In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the 
first day of the week. ' ' The phrase ' ' The first day of the week ' ' 
is literally, "The first of the Sabbaths." The word day is not 
in the original. It means that this first day of the week was 
the beginning of the Christian Sabbath. Matthew evidently here 



388 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

alludes to the change of the Sabbath to the first day of the 
week. Early in the morning came Mary Magdalene, and Mary 
the mother of Joses, mentioned in Chapter 27:56. It has often 
been remarked that woman was last at the cross and first at the 
sepulcher of Jesus. Mark tells us they had come to embalm the 
body of Jesus, bringing spices for that purpose. There had been 
an earthquake at the crucifixion and now there was another. 
With this earthquake came an angel from heaven and rolled 
away the stone. The angel sat upon the stone that, with its seal, 
had been put there to make "the sepulcher sure" and keep Jesus 
in the tomb. Sitting there he thus showed the triumph of Jesus 
over the grave. The face of this angel was like lightning in 
its brilliancy; as we would say today, like the flashing of an 
electric light. "His raiment white as snow." The soldiers who 
were guarding the tomb swooned away with fright. 

The women, although afraid, did not show it to the degree 
that these heathen did. The angel spoke comfortingly to the 
women and bade them be not afraid. He said, "Fear not ye." 
The idea was that while the wicked are afraid and tremble you 
have no cause for fear. It will be so in the Judgment. Some 
will be afraid and call for rocks and mountains to fall upon them, 
but the saints of God will rejoice. "For I know that ye seek 
Jesus. ' ' Those who are honest seekers of Jesus need never be 
afraid. The angel then preached the resurrection saying, "He is 
not here : for he is risen. ' ' Thank God, for that message, from 
this first preacher of the resurrection. We need not be afraid of 
death from henceforth, for Jesus has arisen and thereby proved 
the reality of the life Beyond the grave. He has arisen and we 
need therefore never fear for the outcome of his cause. It 
cannot be destroyed either by wicked men or devils. He then 
bade them ' ' Come, see the place where the Lord lay. ' ' Thus 
this angel testifies to the divinity of Jesus by calling him, 
"The Lord." Then he sends them to tell the disciples of the 
resurrection. Thus women became the first preachers of the 
resurrection. If she could tell the story then by divine com- 
mission, who will forbid her telling it and preaching this glorious 
gospel of the resurrection! They immediately and quickly set out 
with mingled emotions of fear and great joy and ran to tell the 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 389 

disciples. Thus the resurrection of Jesus was confirmed by an 
angel. On their way to tell the disciples ' ' Jesus met them, saying, 
All hail. ' ' Hearing his voice and seeing his face they fell down 
at his feet and worshipped him. They had never worshipped 
him before his crucifixion. They now were convinced as never 
before of his divinity. And he did not rebuke their worship 
of himself. Jesus bade them not be afraid but said, "Go tell' 
my brethren. ' ' This is the first time he had ever called them 
brethren. It is very significant. The Lord of life and glory 
after having finished his earthly humiliation and having entered 
into the glory of his resurrection, deigns to call mortals his 
brethren. It is wonderful. It reminds us of what the apostle 
says, "Now he that sanctifieth and tney that are sanctified are all 
one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." 
He tells them to carry the message that the angels had given 
them to his brethren and summon them to meet him in Galilee. 
He then reminded them of the prophecy of Jesus that he would 
meet them in Galilee. (Matt. 26:32.) 

The resurrection of Jesus is the miracle of all the miracles of 
Christianity. It is the foundation of the Christian faith. It 
proves conclusively that Jesus was divine. More than this it is 
a pledge and symbol. It is a pledge that we too shall rise 
from the grave and it is a symbol of the resurrection life in this 
world which we all may enter that is freedom from sin — the ex- 
perience of having been crucified with Christ; and having died 
to sin in which we may "walk with him in newness of life." 
We may taste the powers of the world to come now, and walk in 
the resurrection life filled with the same Spirit that raised him 
from the dead. Let us then remember that the resurrection life 
begins in this world to those who have died to sin. 

SLANDERS AGAINST THE RESURRECTION. Vs. 11-15. 

11 Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came 
into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that 
were done. 

12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had 
taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, 

13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him 
away while we slept. 



390 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL 

14 And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, 
and secure you. 

15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and 
this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. 

Was there ever a manifestation of divine power that was not 
gainsaid and disputed by opposers? It has been so from that 
day to the present. The devil has tried his best always to hinder 
belief in the divine power in its operation among men; then it 
was the resurrection of Jesus, now it is regeneration or sanctifiea- 
tion by the same power. The same unbelief attempted to dis- 
parage and hinder it. So do not be surprised if the highest 
forms of experience are denied and opposed. It is the same 
old opposition of the devil and the carnal mind. The history of 
every real revival has been a proof of this. So there were two 
companies: one going to tell the friends of Jesus about his 
resurrection, and some of the soldiers, who had been on guard, 
going to the chief priests to tell them of the earthquake, the 
rolled away stone and empty tomb. The latter company did not 
go to Pilate but to their employers, the chief priests. The latter 
immediately summoned the elders of the people and told them 
the startling news, that he whom they thought dead was alive 
in spite of all their efforts to destroy him. The only course 
that they could think of was to bribe the soldiers with large sums 
of money to relate the absurd story that his disciples had stolen 
away his body while the soldiers slept. What an absurd 
story! Would Eoman soldiers be likely to sleep on duty? If 
the soldiers were asleep, how did they know that the disciples 
stole away his body? What possible reason could the disciples 
have for venturing among the soldiers, when they did not them- 
selves believe in the resurrection of Jesus and had forsaken him 
when his enemies seized him. 

But the soldiers took the money and reported the story which 
Matthew says was current at the time that he wrote this gospel, 
which was probably eight years after. 

If the great miracles of Christianity were so misrepresented 
and lied about how do we expect men to tell the truth about 
entire sanctifieation which this typifies? There has always been 
intense opposition to any phase of supernatural religion whether 



ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 391 

at the fact of the resurrection, or of the saving grace of God 
in any degree, in the human heart. But God keeps the truth 
before men in spite of the slanders that are uttered against it. 

POWER OF THE RESURRECTION. Vs. 16-20. 

16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a 
mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 

17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him : but some 
doubted. 

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is 
given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : 

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have com- 
manded you : and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of 
the world. Amen. 

From the reading of John 20:26 it would appear that a 
week intervened between the resurrection and the meeting of the 
eleven disciples with Jesus at the mountain in Galilee here de- 
scribed. Jesus had appointed this as the meeting place (Matt. 
26:32). When they met 'they worshipped him, but some were yet 
in doubt, notably Thomas. Jesus gave them his final charge. 
They were to go into all the world and preach the gospel to 
every creature, because all power had been given to Jesus in 
heaven and in earth. This is the reason that there was to be 
an aggressive religion among men known as Christianity. It 
had and has behind it One who has all power. Had it not been 
so, the Christian religion would have perished long ago from 
the earth. A being of all power is at the head of it and he says 
because he has all power "therefore" his disciples are to go into 
all the world. This shows the aggressiveness of Christianity. 
It also shows its universality. It is adapted to all nations. It 
would have been impossible for a mere man in his right mind to 
have advanced such a stupendous claim for his religion, de- 
claring that it is adapted to and intended to reach all nations. It 
takes a religion that has in it resurrection power to go among and 
conquer all nations. So he said, "Go ye therefore and teach all 
nations." The word teach may better be translated disciple. The 
way in which they were to disciple the nations was first to baptize 



392 COMMENTAEY ON THE G08PEL 

them. Second to teach them. Of course this means more than the 
ordinance of baptism. It means baptism as a sign of cleansing of 
sin. It means therefore a ministry that preaches the truth which 
brings men to the experience of the new birth. And then it also 
means a ministry that does not leave them there but teaches 
them still further, after regeneration. 

He adds this significant statement: ''And Lo I am with 
you alway even unto the end of the world." This is the reason 
that the Christian religion has prospered in this wicked world 
amidst all sorts of opposition. It has One with its preachers 
who has all power. He it is, who gives their efforts power. And 
he has promised to be with them unto the end of the world, or 
as the true rendering is "unto the end of the age" — until the 
end of this dispensation of redemption. No wonder then that 
the gospel proves itself to be "the power of God unto salvation 
to every one that believeth." 









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